


Where I Belong

by itsfnickingawesomeness



Category: Captain America (Movies), Disney - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Ancient Greece, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Temporary Character Death, disney hercules au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-02 23:25:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16314665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsfnickingawesomeness/pseuds/itsfnickingawesomeness
Summary: Steve was perfectly happy being raised by his mother Sara in a poor farmhouse outside of the city. Sure, he was scrawny and bullied, and somehow could lift twenty times his weight, but overall he had a good life. But when he finds out his true parentage, he embarks on a journey to find the famous trainer Samuel, become a true Hero, and return to his homeland, Mount Olympus. Steve expected monsters and villains to oppose him, he maybe even could have guessed that there would be vengeful gods and Titans coming after him, but he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love with a man along the way- a man who may not be who he says he is.For the 2018 Captain America Big Bang.





	1. The Gospel Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nejinee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nejinee/gifts).



> Dedicated to my grandmother who passed away while I was in the course of writing this. Hopefully she won't mind the gayness too much. Love you, Geema <3
> 
> So much love to my talented artist @nejineee on Tumblr (Nejinee here on Ao3) who drew the (to be added soon) beautiful picture of Bucky!!
> 
> Thank you to my great beta @harratus on Tumblr:)

**Prologue**  
  
Many eons ago, when the world was new, monsters by the name of Titans roamed freely. They destroyed all in their path, creatures of wind, earth, water, and fire hell-bent on destruction. It was a miserable world, one where barely anything could survive.

  
Until one day, Zeus put an end to the Titans with a mighty thunderbolt, and locked them away forever under the Earth, never to terrorize the world or its inhabitants again. 

  
Since then, the gods have lived in peace on Mount Olympus, far above the humans they watched over. Today was a special occasion, a rarity that called for the largest celebration in decades: the birth of a new baby. Baby Stephanos was the pride of joy of King Zeus and Queen Hera, and all of Olympus had come to the palace to congratulate the couple and shower the baby with gifts. 

  
Stephanos himself was in his crib, happily chattering as he played with a golden rattle that one of the gods had brought him. He had shining golden hair and piercing blue eyes, a golden aura shimmering around him. Once he had apparently lost interest in his rattle, he reached over to where his father's quiver was set aside, grabbing at one of the lightning bolts stored there. With a loud zap the baby jerked back, sniffling at his tingling hand. 

  
"Be careful!" Hera chided her son, running a comforting hand over his head. "Darling, be more watchful with your lightning bolts," she then scolded Zeus.

  
Zeus chortled, chucking his son under the chin. "Nonsense, he's alright. Wants to be just like his dad when he grows up!" Stephanos giggled, reaching for the finger that Zeus wiggled in his direction. With one simple lift, Stephanos lifted Zeus above his head, causing the king to cry out in surprised joy. “Strong like his dad, too!” Those closest to the crib cooed in adoration, both genuinely and for want of Zeus’ favor. 

  
Turning to the crowd, Hera announced, “We want to thank you all for coming today, as well as for all of your lovely gifts! But I think we still have one more gift to give… dear?” She turned back to her husband, who nodded with a large smile.

  
Reaching out and seemingly gathering clouds to himself, Zeus took hold of and molded the clouds, fitting them together and giving them form. He murmured to himself as he did so, and within moments, the clouds had taken the shape of a small horse with wings; the crowd watched with anticipation. With a puff of wind, Zeus blew the clouds away… to reveal a small white horse with feathery wings, which chuffed and sneezed at the remaining wisps of cloud. The gods awed once more, while Zeus proudly pushed the flying horse towards his son.

  
“His name is Pegasus, and he’s all yours, my boy,” Zeus said. The two babies examine each other for a moment, before Stephanos reached out to pat the horse’s nose. Pegasus simply whinnied, immediately cuddling up beside Stephanos. Stephanos grabbed onto the horse as if he were a teddy bear, obviously overjoyed with his gift. 

  
“Our little Stephanos…” Hera murmured, watching with adoration as Stephanos yawned, worn out from the day’s events. 

  
Suddenly, a cold and droll voice was heard over the celebration. “How… adorable.” Drifting his way through the cloud was Hades, Zeus’s younger brother. Hera frowned at the God of the Dead’s appearance, and as he moved through the crowd, it seemed that many others shared her dislike for Hades. They parted widely for him, none returning his sarcastic nods. Through his time spent in the Underworld, Hades had become bitter and dark, resenting all that lived on the mountain above. He made no direct enemies, but certainly never made any plans, and avoided the other gods at all costs. Usually.

  
His older brother, however, brightened at the newcomer, not seeing anything wrong with Hades’ appearance. Zeus simply reached out and squeezed him in a hug, oblivious to the tension as Hades stiffened. “So, you finally showed up, brother! How are things in the Underworld?”

  
Narrowing his eyes and removing Zeus’s arm from his shoulders, Hades shrugged lazily. “The same. Cold, gloomy, full of dead people.” His green eyes darted behind Zeus, a tight smile on his face. “Ah, there’s the bouncing baby boy.” He walked forward, completely ignoring Hera’s glare. Hades had come to see the newest addition to the family, to evaluate, to calculate.

  
With a wave of his hand, Hades conjured a pacifier, one that seemed to glow sickly in the bright light of Olympus. He held it out to Stephanos, and the room was silent. Stephanos looked at the pacifier, before grabbing onto Hades’ hand, and there was an audible cracking sound as he gripped and shook the god’s hand with impossible strength. Hades hissed in pain, wrestling to get his hand free. As he finally got it back, he shook it slightly, tone slightly frustrated as he said, “Powerful little one.”

  
Zeus nodded with a beaming smile, reaching out once more to draw Hades in for a crushing hug. “Don’t be so grim, Hades. Relax some, join the party.”

  
Looking like that was the last thing he’d ever want to do, Hades replied, “Sadly, I have a full time job, one to which I must return. Thank you for that, once again. My sincerest regrets.” Hades turned to leave, eyes cold.

  
“Come on, you should cut yourself some slack! If you’re not careful, you’ll work yourself to death!” There was a pause as Zeus realized what he had just said, before he started guffawing loudly. “To death!” The rest of the gathered gods joined in on the booming laughter, and Hades’ eyes narrowed again as he turned to leave amongst the noise.   
  


* * *

Hades returned to the Underworld, land of the dead and the punishments bestowed on them. He was not a kind god, and definitely not one that you would want on your bad side. Unfortunately for Zeus, Hades was currently right in the middle of a grand scheme, one that he hoped would upturn and change the world forever, one that did not fare well for Olympus and her gods. As he swept onto the ferry and ordered Charon forth, he seethed; he always hated stepping foot into Olympus, with its inhabitants so pretentious and life so perfect. 

  
As he reached the other side of the river, he called out impatiently, “Pain! Panic!” Immediately scurrying could be heard, as two small winged demons ran out. Panic, the taller and thinner of the two, ran as fast as he could, already jabbering apologies to his master. Pain, the shorter and fatter of the demonic brothers, tripped and fell over the last few stairs, groaning quietly as he came to a stop before Hades. “At your service!” they chorused sycophantically. 

  
“Yes, astounding,” Hades sneered. “I simply need you to tell me when the Fates arrive.”

  
“Oh, they’re here!” Panic replied cheerfully.

  
Flames sprung up at Hades’ feet as he snarled, “What?”, clenching his hands into fists. “They’re here, and you didn’t tell me?” Shadows whipped angrily around the god, and immediately Pain and Panic fell onto their knees, crying out apologies and self-admonishments. Closing his eyes and visibly restraining himself, Hades muttered, “Fine. I will deal with you later.”

  
He quickly left to meet with the Fates, who were currently in the process of ending a mortal’s life, as was their job. There was a Fate holding each side of a thin thread, the mortal’s thread of Life, while the third Fate held the scissors. “Hold it tight, sisters,” Atropos tittered, before she snapped the scissors closed, severing the thread. A distant scream came, before a ghostly soul materialized on the banks of the River Styx. 

  
Hades entered the room as the Fates were still laughing over the poor mortal’s fate. “My ladies, I’m very sorry that I’m-”

  
“Late,” interrupted Atropos, brandishing the scissors.

  
Clotho piped in, “We knew you would be.”

  
“We know everything,” Lachesis added. 

  
The three crones possessed a single eye between the three of them, glistening and sickly looking. They bickered over it, taking it from one another as they spoke, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos respectively, “Past. Present. Future.”

  
Rolling his eyes slightly, Hades responded, “Yes, I see. I was at Zeus’s… party, and-”

  
“We know,” the Fates chorused, pointing to their one eye.

  
Hades’ shoulders tensed, and his teeth were grit as he said, “I’m aware. But I learned that he now has-”

  
The Fates interrupted once more, practically yelling as they continued to fight over the eye, “A brand new shining son, we know.”

  
Losing his temper, Hades shot out, “I know, that you know, I understand it.” He took a breath, taking a step closer to the crones. “All I need to know is if this… child will have any negative effect on my plan.” This plan, if it succeeded, would be the biggest upheaval in the history of the world, and it was imperative that nothing stood in its way. 

  
Clotho held up a hand, silencing her sisters. “We’re not supposed to reveal the future, it is forbidden.”

  
There was a glint in Hades’ eye, but he managed to smile at the crones. He was charming when he wanted to be, and he ran a hand down Atropos’ cheek. “My darlings…please. My fate is in your lovely hands, and I only need to know this one, little thing.” 

  
“Well… alright,” Clothos sighed. The sisters raised their arms, and the eyeball floated a meter above them, slowly spinning as it started to glow. Pain and Panic exchanged a glance where they stood in the shadows, shuddering. The glowing orb displayed a vision of one possible future, and flashes could be seen: five planets in a line in the night sky, thunderbolts shattering, mass destruction across the land.

  
Atropos stepped forward, speaking in a soft voice that rang with power, “In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely.  The time to act will be at hand, unleash the Titans, your monstrous band. Then the once-proud Zeus will finally fall, and you, Hades, will rule all!”

  
Grinning darkly, Hades hissed, “Excellent.” That was what he desired: Olympus destroyed, Zeus- and every god who stood with him- dead, and Hades on the throne. It was picture perfect. 

  
“A word of caution to this tale,” Atropos added, holding up a finger. Hades’ smile dropped from his face, and he froze as he watched the Fate. “Should Stephanos fight, you will fail.”

  
Flames licked up Hades’ limbs as he snarled wordlessly, fists clenched as shadows boiled around him. Pain and Panic scampered away to hide behind a column, but the Fates watched, unimpressed, before disappearing with a collective snicker. Within seconds Hades calmed down, smoothing a hand back over his black hair. An idea had occurred to him, one that would take some planning, but could solve all of their problems in one go. “Alright. I see. Fine.” Turning, he searched for the demons, beckoning to them. His servants ran back to him, watching nervously as he paced thoughtfully. “How do you think one kills a god?”

  
The demons look at each other, frowning. “I… don’t know,” Pain replied. 

  
Panic shook his head, adding, “You can’t? They’re immortal.”

  
“Exactly,” Hades said, voice dark and dangerously smug. With a wave of his hand a small vial appeared, glinting maliciously in the low light of his palace. The liquid inside was murky and thick, with an evil look to it. “So you make them mortal.” Pain and Panic stared at each other, and slowly nodded.  
  


* * *

It was night time on Olympus when tragedy struck. Zeus and Hera, sleeping peacefully in their bed, were awoken by a cry, and the sound of glass breaking. They both sleepily mumbled at each other their confusion, but were wide awake only half a second later; the sounds had come from the direction of the nursery. “Stephanos!” they cried, leaping out of bed. By the time they reached the baby’s room, it was too late.

  
The crib overturned, the side table broken, and Pegasus tied up in a corner- but Stephanos was nowhere to be seen. Hera fell to her knees next to the empty bed, sobbing into her hands.

  
“NO!” Zeus cried out, fists clenching as lightning zapped between his fingers. With an enraged, wordless cry from Zeus, the skies lit up with lightning, crashing thunder making the very clouds shake.   
Pain and Panic were flying away from Olympus, desperately flapping as they held baby Stephanos between them. “Oh gods, we’re in for it now,” Panic muttered. 

  
Scoffing, Pain simply responded, “Just hold on to the kid, we’re almost done.” They only needed a few minutes to finish the job, though their headstart was growing smaller by the minute. Flying a satisfactory distance away down to Earth, the demons aimed towards a dip in the earth. Landing clumsily in the dirt, the demons let go of the baby, who cried out as he was dropped to the ground.   
“Hurry!” Panic whispered, watching anxiously as Pain produced the bottle of mortality potion, affixing a drinking nipple to the top. 

  
“Here you go, open up,” Pain muttered, shoving the makeshift bottle at Stephanos.

  
The baby grabbed onto it, latching its mouth onto the top and sucking. The demons watched in amazement as the golden aura surrounding Stephanos started to dim, becoming less and less noticeable. 

  
Panic gasped, hands fluttering. “It’s working!” he cried softly, watching the godly glow grow darker and darker. “Can we kill him yet?” he asked impatiently.

  
Shaking his head, Pain insisted, “No, we have to wait until he drinks it all, every last drop.” The wait was killing them; the demons wanted this to be over and done with, fearing discovery with every passing second. The godly glow was all but gone, and Stephanos looked like any other mortal baby- it was almost time.

  
Suddenly a light appeared at the end of the little valley that the group was hunkered in, and a voice called out, “Hello? Who’s there?” Pain and Panic scurried to hide behind a rock, leaving Stephanos alone, who started to wail. An older mortal couple came into view, the man holding aloft a lantern. They stopped in shock at seeing the baby alone in the dirt.

  
“Oh my stars, you poor thing! Don’t cry!” The blonde woman hurried forward to wrap the baby in a shawl, and the bottle fell to the ground and cracked open. Unseen to anyone else, the last drop of the potion fell to the ground, vanishing into the dirt.

  
Looking around and peering into the surrounding shadows, the man held up the lantern, calling out, “Hello? Is anyone there?” No one answered the man, and his wife continued to soothe the baby, who had stopped crying, and was only sniffling now.

  
Behind the rocks, Pain and Panic looked each other, coming to a silent agreement, and nodded. Slipping out of their hiding spot, the demons slowly shapeshift into snakes, slithering quickly towards the unsuspecting mortal couple.

  
“Someone must have left him here,” the man murmured, a concerned frown on his face.

Looking up at him, his wife said, “Ioseph, perhaps the gods have answered our prayer for a child.”

  
Ioseph couldn’t help but smile at the pure joy radiating from his wife, and he gently stroked her hair. The baby was quite adorable, yawning in the woman’s arms. As Ioseph reached out to caress the boy, a medallion nestled in the blankets caught his eye. One on side was carved a mountain, most likely meant to be Olympus, and on the other was simply the name Stephanos. “Yes, Sara, perhaps they have….little Stephanos.”

  
Suddenly the two giant snakes reared up, hissing menacingly at the mortals. Sara screamed and Ioseph leapt to his feet, but before either had a chance to do anything, Stephanos reached out with a laugh. Easily gripping both of the snakes, he giggled happily, smacking them first against the ground, and then against each other, as if they weighed no more than blades of grass. Ioseph and Sara watched in shock as Stephanos tangled them together before hurling them far away, into the shadows and out of sight. Stephanos laughed once more, and Sara and Ioseph stare at each other wide dropped jaws. 

  
Now hundreds of meters away, still tangled as they shift back into their natural forms, Pain and Panic skittered about. “Oh, Hades is going to kill us when he finds out!” Panic cried, shaking.

Pain took a break, before saying meaningfully, “If he finds out.” It was a dangerous game, but Pain was always the more level-headed and cleverer of the two. 

Choking a bit, Panic retorted, “If? Of course he’s going to-” Understanding lit up his face. “Oh. If… I like if.” The two met each other’s eyes and nodded, vowing to never bring this up again.

* * *

 

  
Chaos reigned on Mount Olympus. Zeus and Hera were distraught, and sent out every god available on the mountain to search for their son. But by the time someone found him, it was too late. Stephanos was all but mortal now, everything but his godly strength drained from him by Hades’ potion. He was no longer allowed to live on Mount Olympus, and so Zeus and Hera would have to watch from afar as someone else raised their son.  
  



	2. The Gospel Truth

**Chapter 1**

On a peaceful country road, there was nothing but silence on a sunny day, until a cart stacked high with hay came racing down the road. Ioseph and an old mule sat on the driver’s bench, while Stephanos- who more often went by Steve- pulled it. The cart barreled towards the marketplace, hay flying as Steve sprinted down the path. The boy was average height and very lithe, weighing less than 130 pounds, and looked like he couldn’t lift one bale of hay, let alone pull a whole cart full of them. The strength of the gods hadn’t deserted him, but he looked like any other man.

“By the gods, be careful!” Ioseph shouted, gripping onto the seat for dear life. Steve merely grinned, excited by the challenge of hauling the loaded cart. The men reached the marketplace in no time, Steve swerving to nearly avoid hitting several people before skidding to a messy stop.

Shakily hopping off the cart, Iospeh took his first deep breath of the trip. “Thanks, son. I thought we’d never make it when Penelope hurt her leg.” It had been a harrowing moment qhwn the mule had faltered and cried out as one leg gave out, where Ioseph had feared they wouldn’t be able to get food for the week, or gold for the future.

Steve shrugged, going to pick up the frankly enormous haystack. “Hey, no problem, Pa.” He lifted the pile, which contained at least forty bales of hay, up off the back of the cart with barely a grunt.

“No, don’t unload just yet, I need to go see who will give us the most for it, first,” Ioseph said, shaking his head. Steve shrugged, placing the hay back onto the cart. Turning to him Ioseph started gently, “Now, Steve, you know I love you, and mean this in the nicest way, but today please just-”

“I know, I know, stay by the cart,” Steve sighed. He never  _ meant _ to cause trouble, but it just seemed to follow him around. It wasn’t his fault that his strength was easy to overestimate, or that people were always rude, or that there was always something bad happening to someone in town—Ioseph clapped Steve on the shoulder before strolling off.

Heaving another sigh, Steve kicked at the grass, hoping that his father wouldn’t take too long. It was a beautiful day outside, but without his drawing supplies or anyone to talk to, Steve was going to be bored out of his mind. After a few minutes of pacing around and trying to find shapes in the clouds, Steve could hear the sound of someone yelling something, followed by a strike, and then loud laughter from several people. It was, unmistakably, a fight.

Frowning, Steve looked at the cart full of hay, knowing that he was supposed to stay with it, and not interfere with anything happen in the market. The sounds of the fight got louder, and it sounded as if it were many people against only one or two. Steve clenched his fists, debating for all of another five seconds, before turning and stomping off from the cart. His pa would be so mad at him, but Steve couldn't just ignore someone who needed help, even if he wished he could, sometimes.

Glancing at all of the small alleys between the pavilions and shops, Steve let out a sharp exhale when he found what he was looking for. Three taller boys had cornered a smaller boy, and were jeering at and taunting him. The younger boy looked terrified, hands clasped tight around a coin purse, and he looked scruffy and dusty, as if he'd already been pushed into the dirt several times. Scowling, Steve stalked over to the group, pulling his shoulders up to his full height, even though he wasn't very intimidating at first glance. But he knew he could hold his own.

"Hey, pick on someone your own size," he yelled, fists clenched.

All of the boys looked up in surprise, though the three older boys' faces quickly turned into ones of laughter and mockery. "Oooh, its Stephanos, come to save the day."

"What a hero. Careful not to break anyone's belongings, this time."

"Maybe we should call him Wreckanos!"

Steve's pale skin flushed at the insults, though he knew that they were right. He had been told to stay with the cart the last several times they had come to the marketplace, because Steve had ended up causing some sort of fight or damage multiple times in the past. It had earned him a reputation in the town, and not exactly a good one.

Thankfully, the younger boy ran off, using Steve's arrival as a distraction. Good, Steve thought, one less thing to worry about. "What did he ever do to you?" he challenged the boys, ignoring their laughter at his expense.

The leader of the gang shrugged, cockily answering, "Nothing, but he had quite a lot of coins in his purse. Which  _ you  _ made run away." With that accusation, the trio began to stalk towards Steve, and Steve sighed. Usually people who had heard of him didn't try to fight him, since they knew what he could do, but these boys seemed dumber than most. Steve readied himself, shifting his weight, and reminded himself as usual to pull back and not cause any lasting damage.

The fight was short but sweet. Two boys charged Steve at once, though they were easily thrown aside. One stayed down groaning, the other hopped back up. The two remaining boys circled around Steve, trying to find a weak point, before charging again. This time they came at him at two different times, making one strike impossible. Each grabbed at one of Steve's arms, and he writhed in their grasp, knocking them loose with ease. They came for him again, the leader throwing a punch, and Steve side-stepped it, grabbing his arm and tossing him down the alley. As he skidded away, the third and final boy jumped onto Steve's back, making Steve spin and buck. After a moment he managed to throw the boy off, leaving now all three of them moaning into the dirt, but Steve had lost his balance in the spin. Throwing an arm out, he tried to catch himself, and ended up hitting the stone wall of an open-air shop too hard.

With a crack, the wall of the shop shifted, causing the building to start slowly tilting to one side. 

"Oh no...." Steve muttered, running to try and push the building back into place. God, his pa was going to kill him, if the shop owners didn't! Before he could get to the other side of the building, the shop had tilted too far, hitting the building on the other side. With a groan, the second shop shuddered, starting to fall over as well. Steve blanched, stuttering in his steps. Slowing to a halt, realizing there was nothing he could do, Steve watched helplessly as the entire row of shops slowly tipped over, one after the other, until all five were almost flat to the ground. Luckily no one was hurt, Steve could see people yelling and crawling away from the fallen stone, but Steve wanted a hole to the Underworld to appear and swallow him right that very second. 

People were shouting, wondering how this had happened, who had done it. The leader of the bullies stood up, clutching his bruised shoulder, and pointed dramatically at Steve. "It was him! Stephanos did it, while he was beating me and my friends up!" Before Steve could even protest, or explain what had happened, the crowd had turned on him, their furious questions and angry demands hitting him like a tidal wave. Backing away from the onslaught, unsure of how he could even begin to fix all of this, Steve just shook his head, lost for words. Through all of the messes into which he had gotten himself, this was by far the most disastrous.

Suddenly his Pa was there, one hand around Steve's skinny arm as he guided him quickly away from the marketplace center. Ioseph steered Steve towards the cart, and had evidently borrowed a friend's mule for the return trip, as there was a different animal hitched to the front of the cart. "Get in, son," he said, and Steve swallowed thickly at the disappointed resignation on his father's face. Head hanging, Steve climbed onto the cart, and didn't speak for the rest of the ride. Even if he explained what had happened, it still wouldn't change what had been done. It wouldn't change the fact that they didn't get a chance to make the trades they so sorely needed, or that he had let down his father,  _ again _ . 

When they came home, Sara could immediately tell something had happened, and came forward to wrap Steve in a hug. He hugged her back tightly, wishing that he could always feel as secure as he did in his mother's arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered, even though she didn't even yet know what he had done. He took a shuddering breath, forcing himself not to cry. Steve didn't regret what he had done- the younger boy was surely better off- but he wished that, just once, he could be normal. "I just... I'm not normal. I'll never be. I don't fit in anywhere." He hated admitting weakness, could only do it with his face buried in his mother's hair. 

"I know. But we love you, Stevie, always. It'll all be okay," she murmured, pulling back to lay a hand on his cheek. Steve managed a smile, and turned to smile at his father too when Ioseph set a gentle hand on his shoulder. But Steve's smile faded as he saw the solemn look on his Pa's face, the silent conversation he and his Ma had.

Frowning, shifting to glance between the two, Steve asked, "What?"

His parents looked at each other for a moment, before Ioseph sighed heavily. "Stephanos... if today is any indication. you're only getting stronger as you get older. And we thought we could handle it, could keep everything under control. But I don't think we can, not anymore."

Steve's heart was in his throat, breath quickening. What was this? Were his parents going to disown him? Throw him out? Was he finally too much for them?

Sara's hand patted his cheek, drawing his attention. "No, darling, don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of." She knew him too well. "We just... we need to tell you the truth. About you."

"I- I don't understand," Steve stammered, not having any idea what his parents could mean. They shared another, heavy look, before Ioseph disappeared into the back of the house. After a moment he returned, clutching a medallion, one that shone brighter than any gold Steve had ever seen. Ioseph gave it to Steve, and as he examined it, Steve was shocked to see his name engraved on one side. "What is this?" he asked, finger stroked the unnaturally smooth coin.

His arm going around Sara's waist. Ioseph drew her closer to him as she started speaking. "Stevie... you're not ours. Not by blood, anyway. We found you, out in the mountains one night, on our way back from the city." Steve gaped in shock, barely able to comprehend what his mother was saying. "You were just lying there, swaddled in a single blanket, crying and all alone. The only thing with you was that medallion. But we had prayed for years to be blessed with a child, and we thought.... well, we thought the gods had finally answered." Sara looked ashamed yet firm, as if she didn't regret taking what had been given to her.

The silence was thick and heavy after the confession, Steve now staring, unseeing, at the medallion in his hand. So... his parents weren't his real parents? They raised him, but had simply found him in the dirt? His real parents... had abandoned him? Steve grew dizzy before he sucked in a breath, realizing he hadn't breathed in almost a minute. "You... you're not my real parents?" Ioseph shook his head, eyes heavy with sadness. "But... I don't understand. Where are they then? Do you know?"

Sara shrugged. "No, we don't know, we never heard a thing from anyone. You were a gift to us, Stephanos my love, never think that we loved you any less because of it." Her voice was warm with a core of steel, as if daring anyone to question the love she had for Steve.

Steve was silent as he absorbed all of this. As much as the betrayal stung him, hurt crawling through his chest like an angry wolf, he believed his Ma. He had lead a wonderful life, and his parents had never been anything but loving and joyful to be around. They loved him, they chose him, and he couldn't fault them for it. He looked up, and gave them a watery smile. Sara gave a small, tearful laugh, and drew him into a group hug, all three of them clinging onto each other. Steve let himself revel in the sensation, squeezing them as tight as he dared. As much as he loved them, and as glad as he was that they had finally told him the truth.....

"I need to leave," Steve blurted out, as he extricated himself from the hug. He hastened to explain upon seeing his parents' hurt and shocked faces. "I... I love you, of course, and I always will. But... I need to find my real parents. I need to know who they are, why I'm like this... why they left...." Huffing out a breath, Steve straightened his shoulders, forcing himself to be steady. "I need to find answers."

After a moment, Ioseph slowly nodded, and Sara did too, though tears were already sliding down her cheeks. Steve bent to kiss them away, before retreating to pack. He packed lightly, unsure of where his travels would take him, and said his bittersweet goodbyes just before dusk. It burned him like wildfire to leave his parents behind, but Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he had some answers. Steve waved as he walked off down the road, heading to the only place he could think of at the moment: Zeus's temple.

It was full dark by the time Steve arrived, and he set his bags down by the entrance. Walking in, he knelt before the statue, unsure of really what to say. He had never come to a temple such as this specifically to pray before, but he figured if any gods were listening, the king’s temple would be a good place to start.

“Zeus, hear my prayer. I… I don’t know who I am, or where I belong. I need to find my family, and my purpose… but I don’t know where to start,” Steve prayed quietly.

Nothing happened, and Steve slumped, even though he didn’t know what he had been expecting in the first place. Thunder crashed suddenly overhead, startling Steve; there had been no sign of a storm on his walk. Suddenly, lighting struck inside the temple, somehow causing the braziers to light. Standing up nervously, Steve looked around in uneasy confusion- how had that happened? A deafening creaking and groaning could be heard, cracks of stone and…. A rumbling voice? The large stone statue of Zeus seemed to shudder… before it  _ blinked _ and  _ smiled at Steve. _

“My boy. My little Stephanos,” the statue boomed. Steve couldn’t help but gape at the enormous, talking,  _ moving _ statue, and made a movement to run backwards. “Hey, hold on!” The statue reached out and picked Steve up as easily as a rag doll, and Steve felt a swoop of fear as he rose through the air, coming up only a couple meters from the giant stone face. “What’s wrong? After all this time, this is the welcome I get? Your own father?” the statue continued.

Steve gaped more, eyes even wider. “My father?” he asked incredulously. Now that he knew he wasn’t truly Ioseph and Sara’s son, it was true that he didn’t know who his parents were, but… gods?

The statue- Zeus himself?- grinned, shoulders straightening proudly. “Didn't know you had a famous father, huh?” He kept smiling, gently prodding Steve as he examined him. “Look how you've grown. You've got your mother's beautiful eyes, and my jaw!”

Still in shock and barely processing any of this, Steve blinked dazedly up at the enormous stone face before him. “I- I don't understand. If you’re my real father, wouldn’t that mean that I’m…” He didn’t think he could stand to say the word, apply it to himself.

“A god!” Zeus cried, making Steve wince at the volume. Once Zeus’s words sunk in, Steve felt a bit faint, and blinked again, several times in quick succession.

Breathily, Steve repeated, “A god…” It didn’t seem real, and he sat down on Zeus’s head, feeling his whole world tilt on its axis. Sure, he had always been…  _ different _ , and there really was no other way to explain his freakish strength, but… the idea of Steve being a god was overwhelming, to say the least. Almost laughable in its absurdity. 

Tone not unkind, Zeus said, “You came seeking answers, and I think you’ve waited long enough to hear them.” But something still didn’t seem quite right, the smiling face still not bringing Steve any sort of relief or comfort, and it took Steve only a few seconds to put his finger on why.

“Why did you leave me here, then? You didn’t want me?” The thought of being abandoned by them hurt, deeper than Steve was willing to admit, and his tone was sharp, hiding that pain. He had felt his whole life as if he didn’t belong anywhere, and now he was finding out that he wasn’t even a good enough god to stay where he had belonged.

Zeus frowned, sadness weighing down his features. “We didn’t- we loved you very much. But someone stole you from us in the night, and by the time we found you again… you were human, banned from Mount Olympus forever.”

“Oh,” Steve said, stunned, not expecting that answer. Who could steal from a god? Who would even  _ try  _ to? He was silent as he absorbed all of this. After a moment, he asked quietly, “And there’s nothing you can do?” Now that he knew who he was and where he came from, he wanted nothing more than to see the famed home of the gods, and be reunited with his family. 

“No”, answered Zeus softly, “but  _ you  _ can.”

Steve’s head shot up, eyes wide. “What do I have to do? I’ll do anything!” Though he loved Sara and Ioseph with all his heart, the chance to see Mount Olympus, to meet the rest of his family… it was too amazing to pass up. 

“A god’s powers can be restored if they show themselves to be a true hero. All you have to do is prove to be a  _ good man _ , and your godhood will be yours again,” Zeus explained.

“Right,” said Steve, “a true hero. And how do I do that, exactly?” It was a tall order, and Steve had no idea where to start. He liked to think that he was already a good man, always tried to help others and be kind, but perhaps he still had more to learn.

Zeus sat back in his great stone chair, settling into the throne. “To begin, you can search out Samuel, he is a great trainer of many heroes.” 

Steve nodded quickly, excitement catching in his breast at the thought of the journey ahead.

Zeus chuckled, and set Steve down on the ground. “Now hold on, you’ll need a way to travel.” Zeus put his stone fingers in his mouth and blew a piercing whistle, and out of the night sky Steve could see a large, gleaming white horse fly into the temple on enormous feathery wings. Pegasus landed lightly, and whinnied as he ran over and licked Steve‘s face. 

“Oh my gods,” breathed Steve, “Pegasus! I remember you!” The memories were faint and misty, but the feel of the horse’s feathers, the affectionate head butts Pegasus gave him- they rang of familarity. 

“Now off you go, son,” Zeus cried out, “go and prove yourself worthy of being a hero!” 

Steve nodded, swinging himself up onto Pegasus and taking off into the night, full of excitement and hope.

***

The isle on which the trainer Sam was last seen looked nothing out of the ordinary, with only a few statues and ruins spread about, the undergrowth and trees slowly taking over all of the free space. Pegasus landed at the forest’s edge, and Steve jumped down, looking around doubtfully. It didn’t look like it was the home of a famous trainer of heroes, and Pegasus snorted in agreement when Steve muttered as such.

  
As Steve pushed through some brush into a clearing, his eyes widened when he saw three young dryads frolicking across the small river that ran through the area. He blushed and averted his eyes from the very naked women, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. It was then that he saw what looked like the back half of a goat leaning against a tree, standing oddly still. Steve frowned- perhaps the animal was hurt?

  
Creeping closer, Steve murmured, “Hey buddy, don’t worry, I’m not gonna-”

  
Except the goat turned around and stood up straight, and it was a satyr only a few inches shorter than Steve, with an annoyed look on its very human (very attractive, Steve noted) face. “Buzz off man, I’m trying to have a chat with these lovely ladies.” Steve couldn’t help the small yelp of surprise he gave from the sheer unexpectedness of the situation, and the dryads all turned to look at the two males. Before the satyr could even get out an apology, they had all vanished, blending in with the other trees on the river bank,

  
“Great, thanks a lot, man,” the satyr grumbled, giving Steve a wounded look as he walked away from the clearing.

  
Still blinking in his slight surprise, Steve shook his head, hurrying after the satyr. “Wait!” The other turned around, eyebrow raised, clearly irritated. “Um… I’m looking for Samuel? I heard he was a famous trainer, and this was where I could find him” Steve asked, shifting his weight uneasily.

  
The satyr eyed Steve up and down, facial expression softening, before offering up a hand. “You can call me Sam.”

  
The relief and excitement shot through Steve like a ray of light. He beamed and shook Sam’s hand vigorously, saying, “My name is Stephanos, but people call me Steve.” From the wince on Sam’s face, Steve was probably squeezing too hard, and he hurriedly let go. “Glad to meet you. This is my friend Pegasus.” The horse nodded at Sam, who looked mildly unimpressed.

  
“So you got yourself a sidekick, that’s nice. What do you need from me?” he asked in a no nonsense tone. 

  
Steve puffed out his chest, hoping he sounded sincere. “I want to become a hero, a true one.”

  
Sam took another look at him, gaze unreadable, and then turned and walked off. “Sorry, I don’t do that anymore.”

  
It took a second for Steve to get his bearings, but then he ran to catch up with Sam, who was still walking purposefully towards what Steve could now see was a house, buried amongst the trees. “Wait!” he cried out, but he was ignored, and Sam opened the door to go into his house. Rashly, Steve reached out to try and pull the door back open, but ended up with the door in his hand, Sam dangling from the handle.

  
“Woah,” Sam said, eyes wide.

  
Cringing, Steve set the door and Sam down. “Really sorry. But... why not? You’re a legend!” Every great hero could harken their success back to learning from Sam, a master tactician and trainer who could make or break a fighter. He was Steve’s only hope at learning what it took, and Steve wasn’t leaving with no for an answer.

  
Sam glared at him, arms crossed. “I’m retired. I got out for a good reason.”

  
Steve glared right back. “I need to do this. You don’t know me, I’ll do _anything_ to get there. I’m not gonna give up on it.” This was the most sure he’d been about anything in his life, and he was sure he could out-stubborn the satyr. 

  
After a moment, Sam’s shoulders loosened, and he sighed. “Alright, let me show you something, then.” He gestured through the open doorway, and- hope rekindling in his chest- Steve walked inside the dim house.   
  


It was much larger than he had expected, filled with statues and memorabilia. As they walked through the house, Sam pointed and gestured, voice unexpectedly hard. “That there is part of the Argo, and there’s one of Jason’s oars. That vase is from Helen of Troy, and Perseus gave me that skin. I taught every single one of these heroes.”    


“Oh my gods,” Steve breathed, eyes wide as he struggled to take in all of the incredible artifacts around him. These were the people that he wanted to be, that he looked up to. There was innumerable parts of history sitting in this very room.

  
Sam snorted, coming to halt in front of the biggest statue in the place. “Yea? Well, none of them made it. Even him. Reillus, though we called him Riley. The strongest and best man I ever worked with.” Sam didn’t look angry anymore, just upset, nostalgic. “He was the best of the best… and I still lost him.”

  
Steve was silent for a moment, absorbing all of that. Sam was obviously deeply touched by all of the people he had lost over the years, and it showed in the way his face suddenly looked older and more world-weary. Not wanting to be unkind, Steve said softly, “I’m different from them, Sam! I can make it, trust me. Here, let me show you!”

  
Groaning, Sam muttered, “You just don’t give up, do you?” Steve grinned and shook his head, and Sam reluctantly followed him back outside. 

  
In the overgrown yard, Steve found the biggest item he could see- it looked like a giant metal shield, perhaps from some enormous old statue. With one hand he sent it soaring away, out of sight into the sky.

  
“Holy…” Sam breathed, gaping. He paused, lifting a hand to his head thoughtfully. “You know, maybe if we—no. Nope. I can’t do this again ,I won’t.” Slicing a hand through the air, Sam turned his back on Steve, about to go back into the house. 

  
Growing increasingly frustrated, Steve jogged around to face Sam again, throwing up his arms. “If I don’t become a hero, then I’ll never be able to rejoin my father, Zeus, in Olympus!”

 

That seemed to give Sam pause, and he turned to stare at Steve, one eyebrow raised. “Zeus… is your father?” Steve nodded, and after a moment, Sam scoffed, grin on his face. “Right, and Poseidon is my brother. Come on, Steve!” Steve glowered, arms crossed tightly at the snickering satyr. “I just can’t imagine him reading bedtime stories or-”

 

Between one heartbeat and the next, the sky darkened to a dangerous black, and lightning struck down exactly in the middle ground between Steve and Sam. In the next breath the roiling clouds and deafening thunder disappeared, leaving the day as sunny as before, the grass in front of Sam scorched black. Steve and Sam looked at the mark, and then at each other.

 

“Alright. Guess that settles it. Your training starts tomorrow,” Sam said, a little dazed. Steve whooped in excitement, grabbing Sam’s whole forearm and shaking it in gratitude.

 

“You won’t regret it!” he promised.

 

* * *

  
  


The training was composed of some of the hardest things that Steve had ever done. Sure, he had his godlike strength, but he didn’t have any practice in balance, agility, speed, or actual fighting. Sam had him running laps for what seemed like hours, fighting dummies left and right, running through insane obstacle courses several times a week, only to call out dismissively for Steve to do it again. It was enough that Steve constantly questioned whether it was worth it, whether he could actually do it. 

  
Over time, he began to see results. He shoulders broadened, his muscles grew round and bulging, and Steve even swore he gained a couple of inches in height. Within three weeks his running had improved, and by six weeks he was soaring through every obstacle course and completing attack patterns flawlessly. His weapon of choice was a shield, large and round, perfect for blocking strikes or throwing at an opponent. Steve had a sword as well, just in case, but he structured his learning around his shield.

 

By the time Steve had been on the isle for three months, he was itching to leave and to finally complete his hero work. He badgered Sam for days, the satyr becoming increasingly frustrated and  _ done _ with Steve. Finally,  _ finally _ , Sam agreed to take Steve somewhere to prove himself a hero.

 

“Fine, fine! You think you’re ready? Let’s give it a shot. We’ll go to Thebes, the place is full of crime.” Sam shot at him, hoping to convince Steve not to actually go there.

 

Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and Steve immediately started to pack, much to Sam’s chagrin. Steve couldn’t contain his excitement- it was finally time to be a  _ hero _ . 


	3. One Last Hope

**Chapter 2**

As they were flying high over the trees towards Thebes, Steve heard a sudden shout from the ground below, followed by more inarticulate yelling. The roar of something much, much larger answered, and the first voice cried out again. “Sounds like someone needs my help!” Steve yelled over the wind, already gripping Pegasus’s mane to angle the horse downwards.

“Now’s your chance, Steve!” Sam cried, gripping on tight to Steve’s arms as they hurtled at the river below at a breakneck pace.

Despite the terrifying speeds, Pegasus touched down lightly in a clearing not twenty meters from a small lagoon forming out of the river. Steve and Sam jumped off his back, creeping forward to peek out from the bushes. Steve cursed lowly at the sight before them, hand subconsciously coming to grip his shield.

A man came flying sideways out from behind a tree that was growing at the water’s edge, landing haphazardly in the shallow water, white chiton askew and already soaked through. Advancing after him was an enormous chestnut centaur, chortling loudly as the man splashed frantically to right himself.

“Where are you going, _friend_?” the centaur called, rushing forward to pick the man up. Steve was concerned all over again as he saw that the man only had one arm, and no weapons at his disposal.

Still, the man fought hard, kicking out and flailing his arm against the centaur’s grip. Glaring up at the centaur’s sharp grin, the man shouted, “Put me down, Brockis, or I promise you, I’ll-”

The centaur laughed again, and, given the man’s choked off breath, must have squeezed tighter around his captive. “Or you’ll _what_? Now you’re just being cute, pretty boy.” With his free hand, the centaur reached out and ran an oversized finger down the man’s cheek, making the man jerk back with disgust.

Steve had seen enough, and he stood up with a deep growl.

“Just remember to take stock of the situation, weigh different strategies, and- he’s gone,” Sam sighed, watching as his trainee stalked across the shallow waters of the lagoon. “When is he ever gonna learn?” Sam asked Pegasus, who merely snorted and rolled one large eye.

As Steve came closer, the man was shoving against the centaur’s looming face, grunting out, “Seriously, do you even know who-”

“Stop!” Steve commanded, puffing out his chest a bit as he came to a halt less than ten feet away from the duo. Both centaur and man froze, turning frustrated and bewildered expressions on him, respectively.

The centaur now advanced on Steve, and Steve squared his shoulders. Leaning in enough so that Steve could smell the odors of wet horse and bad breath, the centaur growled, “Don’t interfere, boy.”

Clearing his throat, Steve forged ahead, _mostly_ sure that he could take down this bastard. “Let him go, and then we’ll talk” Steve ordered, putting his hands on his hips, feeling just a bit ridiculous. If the look the other man was giving Steve was any indication, he looked a bit ridiculous, too.

“Just get out of here,” the man scoffed, still struggling to pull himself out of the centaur’s fist. Steve furrowed his brow- didn’t the guy want any help? He didn’t seem to be doing so well on his own. Now Steve felt off-rhythm, and he shifted his weight uneasily.

Gesturing vaguely to the situation in front of him, Steve asked, “Aren’t you… don’t you need my help?” Being trapped in the crushing grip of a centaur would certainly be classified as a ‘get help’ scenario.

Renewing his struggle, the man panted, “Yea yea, I’m a damsel, I’m in distress, but I can handle it. Have a nice day.” With that the man shot him a sarcastic smile, before ignoring him once more. Steve’s jaw dropped a bit, and he heard the centaur stomp and snort impatiently. What kind of person insisted they were fine _while_ they were in the grips of a monster?

Steve ignored the voice inside of head, one that sounded suspiciously like Sam, that said Steve himself would say that.

Shaking his head slightly to gather his thoughts, Steve returned his hand to his shield, and stated, “Look, pal, I’m not sure you understand th-” As soon as Steve drew his shield, the centaur swung a meaty fist, knocking Steve across the lagoon. His shield clattered away, and Steve lay in the water, groaning. It felt like every bone on the right side of his body was bruised, and his head was ringing like a bell.

“Ooooh,” Sam winced, and Pegasus flung a wing over his eyes. The man in the centaur’s grasp huffed and rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. The centaur rushed at Steve, surely coming in for the killing blow. “Come on, get up, grab your shield, you idiot!” Sam cried as Steve slowly and blearily got to his feet.

Before Steve could reach down to look for his shield, the centaur struck again, sending Steve even further across the lagoon, where he smacked against a rock before dropping back into the water. Sam groaned from his vantage point, _this close_ to running in and trying to help the idiot before he got himself killed. But it was important that Steve did this on his own, to prove to both himself and the world that he was capable of being a hero.

Even slower than before, Steve sat up, blood now running down his face from a cut on his head. He moaned, gritting his teeth as he shakily stood up. His vision was flecked with black dots, and his legs felt closer to the consistency of pudding than muscle and bone. Steve could vaguely hear Sam yelling, “Come on, _focus_! Use your head!”

“Oh, my head?” Steve was either more addled than he thought, or he was an actual genius. Stumbling around to face the centaur again, Steve bent his head and lowered his shoulder; hopefully this worked. Sam let out another pained groan as Steve charged head first at the beast, slamming his head and shoulders directly into the centaur’s chest.

The centaur was launched across the lagoon, though he dropped the man back into the water as he flew off of his hooves. Steve watched, regaining his balance as the centaur slammed into the natural rock wall at the other side of the river. His shoulders lifted proudly, and he grinned to himself.

Sam let out a small cheer, accompanied by Pegasus’s whinnying. “Alright, that’s more like it!” he called. Quieter, just to Pegasus, he muttered, “Not really what I was trying to say, but what’re you gonna do?” Steve was going to give him gray fur like no one else had.

Steve’s self-congratulation was interrupted by coughing and spluttering from the man who had been dropped. “Oh my gods, I’m sorry,” Steve said, hurrying forward to offer a helping hand. The man ignored it in favor of using his own hand to sweep his hair back, and stood up by himself. “Are you okay?” Steve asked, hand retreating to rub at his neck.

“Fine, no thanks to you, dumbass,” the man retorted, turning to hop up and sit on a rock. Steve stared at him in shock and a bit of anger; who acted like this after being rescued from a bloodthirsty centaur? “You might wanna pay attention, though,” the man added, jerking his chin to the water behind Steve.

Steve spun around to see the centaur charging at them, his own head lowered to gather speed. Steve ran forward to meet the centaur, trying to form a strategy in his mind as he went. He leapt up, grabbing the centaur’s neck, and used his momentum to swing around the beast. He settled with his feet on the centaur’s shoulder blades, one arm hooked around his throat and the other whaling on his head. The centaur bucked and thrashed, trying to throw Steve off, but his arms couldn’t quite reach back to where Steve was perched.

Throwing his other arm around the centaur, Steve pulled up with all of his might, causing the centaur to choke and clutch at his throat. Leaping forward off of the centaur’s shoulders, Steve locked his hands together, dragging the centaur’s head with him. Grunting with effort, Steve heaved with his shoulder, sending the centaur flipping over Steve to land on his back in the water in front of Steve.  

Over on the sidelines, Sam was cheering Steve on. He caught sight of the strange man, still sitting on the rock, squeezing water out of his long brown hair. The satyr eyed him suspiciously; he seemed awful calm for someone who had almost died at the hands of a beast.

“Is golden boy here even real?” the man asked Sam, eyes on the fight.

“Of course he’s real. What were you even doing here?” Sam asked, perhaps not as polite as he should have been. This guy was ungrateful.

The man snorted, barely sparing Sam a glance. “None of your business, goat boy.” Sam squawked indignantly, exchanging an affronted glance with Pegasus.

Steve was now on the centaur’s back, desperately trying to hold on as the beast ran, bucked, and kicked, trying to throw the hero off. Steve was looking around desperately for anything he could use to subdue the centaur, when he spotted his chance up ahead. The centaur, blind with fury, ran back across the river, right under a dead tree. Sending a quick prayer up to the gods, Steve reach up and grabbed a branch, tightened his legs around the centaur, and swung up with all of his strength. Shouting in exertion, Steve threw his legs up, lifting the centaur up and off the ground, and swung the centaur back around to slam into the trunk of the tree.

The centaur crashed into the water, and Steve fell from the tree, landing clumsily on his feet in the shallow water. Angrier than ever, the centaur stood up again, but before it could do more than snort, Steve hauled back and threw a punch, sending the centaur soaring across the water once more. The centaur yelled as he fell back to the river, landing directly on his head. Steve watched warily as the centaur made to stand up again, before the beast collapsed, out cold.

Exhaling forcefully and sagging with relief, Steve trudged out of the water, stopping along the way to pick his shield back up. He was more exhausted than he had been since the first few days of training, but he was thrilled at seeing all of his hard work pay off. “How did I do, Sam?” he called out to his friend, who was sitting on the river bank. “Not bad, huh?” Though Steve was tired, and more than a little sore, he was high on his first real success, and it showed in the bounce of his steps.

Fighting a small smile, Sam made a ‘slow down’ motion with his hands. “Woah, woah, one victory does not a hero make,” the satyr said. Even so, he reached up to pat Steve on the shoulder. “But yea, not bad for a rookie,” Sam admitted. Steve smirked at him, clapping him on the shoulder, and Sam shook his head. “You had a pretty rough start. Next time, don’t get distracted every time someone bats their eyelashes at you.” He threw Steve a look, one that was all too knowing.

Steve spluttered, probably turning a nice shade of pink. No one had been _batting their eyelashes_ at him, and he certainly hadn’t let _flirting_ get in the way of saving someone. It was preposterous! “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about! I didn’t- he’s not even-”

Turning to look at Steve head on, Sam raised an eyebrow. “I was just kidding, but now I think I just have more questions.”

Whatever Steve was about to retort died in his throat as they neared the edge of the forest. Up ahead, he got his first good look at the man that he had rescued from the centaur. He was only a bit smaller than Steve, with shoulder length brown hair that was still dripping onto his… sharp, well-defined collarbones. His chiton was soaking wet, clinging to swells of lean muscle and fine bones. His chiseled jaw was covered in the perfect amount of scruff, and his eyes… his eyes were the sharp gray-blue of a snowy sky, or the Mediterranean Sea during a summer storm.

He looked like he had been personally carved by the gods, and Steve could feel metaphorical drool escape his open mouth.

Ignoring whatever Sam was berating him with, Pegasus’s inquisitive and annoyed chirps, and his own bruised and bloody state, Steve walked directly up to the man, feeling drawn like a moth to a flame. “Look, um… really, are you okay, uh…?” Steve asked hesitantly, realizing he didn’t even know the man’s name. The man was bent over, fixing a strap on his sandals, and Steve blushed and averted his eyes from the shapely ass less than a meter before him.

The man straightened up, face blank but eyes dancing, like he was inwardly laughing at Steve. “I’m Buchanan, but my friends call me Bucky.” He paused, before adding wryly, “Well, they would if I had any friends.”

Was that a funny joke, or was it just sad? Steve laughed awkwardly, rubbing his neck as he was thrown yet again by this man’s attitude. This stranger was incredibly attractive, snarky, and looked to be as stubborn as Steve was- he seemed awfully perfect. If only Steve could get his thoughts straight enough to speak to him.

“So, do I get to know your name, or should I just continue calling you Perfect Ass?” Bucky asked, his hand on his hip, the very picture of sass.

Blushing once again, Steve coughed, hands behind his back. “Oh, um, haha, no, that’s okay, uh- I’m Stephanos. You can call me Steve.” He almost wished that he had trained in communication as well as fighting; he had never had much opportunity to flirt back home, and now he was floundering.

Another smirk pulled on Bucky’s lips. “I see.” Bucky backed up to sit on the rock, fiddling with his sandal’s buckle again.

Not wanting to lose another chance to talk to Bucky, Steve stepped forward, impatiently brushing away Pegasus’s wing when the horse unfurled and waved the appendage directly in front of him, trying to get his attention. “So, um, how’d you get into this… this centaur mess, anyhow?” he asked, leaning against a tree in what he hoped was a nonchalant way.

Bucky snorted, squeezing more water from the hem of his chiton. “Well, you know how other men can be. Think ‘no’ means ‘yes’, and ‘get lost’ means ‘I’m all yours’,” Bucky said, disdain obvious in the sarcastic, breathy way he spoke. Steve swallowed thickly, thoughts running in so many dangerous directions.

That possibly answered one question, one about with whom Bucky preferred to spend his time, but Steve was unsure of how to respond to that statement. Besides, opening his mouth right now could result in any number of stupid things coming out, such as asking Bucky to come to Thebes with them, or offering to comb out Bucky’s tangled hair. Steve was a _mess_.

Waving a hand, Bucky stood up, saying, “Look, mistakes were made, but we’re all fine now.” He began to walk away, a casual strut that had his hips swinging in a way that made Steve bite his tongue. Pausing, he turned his head to say, “Thanks for everything, Steve,” a sarcastic salute topping it off.

Steve lasted all of three seconds watching the brunet walk away before he was calling out, “Wait! Um… can I give you a ride?” as he gestured to Pegasus. Bucky paused, turning back around, a smirk still on his face. The flying horse didn’t seem to like that, as he brayed indignantly and flew up into the branches of the tree above. Steve glared at the winged horse, wanting just a few more minutes to talk to the most interesting person he had met in months.

Chuckling, Bucky replied, “I don’t think he likes me much. Besides, _I_ don’t like heights much.” He came to stand under the tree, where Pegasus was definitely glaring at them.

“What? No! Pegasus likes you just fine!” Steve defended weakly, silently cursing the self-ruling horse. “But, um… yea, that’s alright. Maybe next time.” He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, giving Bucky a hopeful smile. They both knew how unlikely another chance meeting like this was.

Bucky grinned back, shaking his head slightly. “Yea, maybe, but I can _hand_ le myself” he proclaimed, wiggling his only hand. Steve let out an uneasy laugh, again unsure whether it was okay to laugh at that or not. Turning around again and sauntering away, Bucky lifted his hand in a lazy wave, saying, “Bye, golden boy.”

Steve was left waving long after Bucky disappeared behind the trees, a small grin on his face. “Wow… he’s something,” he murmured, quite unaware of how lovestruck he looked.

Sam grit his teeth, muttering, “Yea, and that _something_ is a pain in my ass.” When Steve made no sign of even hearing him, Sam shoved his shoulder, voice growing louder, “Come _on,_ Steve, forget him!” Sam obviously was not a fan of Bucky, and Steve threw him a sideways look. “We still got work to do. Thebes, remember?” Sam prompted.

“Yea, yea, I know,” Steve muttered. Huffing and rolling his eyes, but unable to wipe the small smile totally off of his face, Steve walked back to Pegasus to hop on. The flying horse clipped Steve in the head with his wing, causing Steve to flick at his ear in retribution. Still bickering, the three took off, continuing on their way to Thebes.

* * *

Bucky walked alone through the rapidly darkening woods, away from the river and the whole debacle that had been. His mind was buzzing, both with the unfortunate turn of events that had been the meeting with Brockis and the appearance of the so-called hero. Bucky couldn’t help but grin slightly at the memory of the blushing, goofy-but-genuine Steve. It certainly hadn’t been expected, but Bucky supposed in the end that he _may_ have needed that help with the centaur. It didn’t hurt that Steve had been devastatingly handsome to watch fight.

Lost in his musings, Bucky almost didn’t see the two creatures perched in the tree above his head. He jumped a foot in the air as they shrieked and flew down to land on the road in front of him, but Bucky reigned himself in as he recognized the ugly demons.

“How kind, an entourage, just for me?” he asked, sickeningly sweet. Pain and Panic shared a look, before shooting Bucky a disdainful glare. “Thought it seemed too peaceful out here,” Bucky continued, never one to let the demons scare him.

“Bucky….” A soft, deceivingly melodious voice accompanied the tendrils of shadow that crept around Bucky, caressing his arm and legs. Bucky shuddered, and winced as one of the tendrils lightly gripped his chin to bring his head around to look at the speaker. Hades was leaning against a tree, his black robes almost blending in to the dark wood behind him.

Hades beckoned Bucky closer, and Bucky didn’t have a choice but to walk forward as shadows wrapped around his ankles and wrist. There was always a sense of… _wrongness_ about the god, like Hades walking on Earth was an error of nature. It made Bucky’s insides shake, and he swallowed his disgust as Hades brushed a piece of hair off of Bucky’s forehead.

When the god spoke, it was smooth and beguiling, though discordant notes rang beneath the surface if one listened too closely. “Now tell me, what happened back there? I thought you said you could convince the river guardian to be on my side.” His tone was calm, but anger flickered like flames in the shadows closest to him. “Yet now, here we are, without his aid.”

Wishing, not for the first or even the thousandth time he had both arms, Bucky wrapped his right arm around his torso. “Look, I tried, okay? But he wasn’t being very… honorable.” The centaur was very amenable to the idea- he had no love for the Olympians- but he would only join if he was promised Bucky as well. It was _not_ a deal Bucky had agreed upon.

Hades’ eye twitched, but otherwise he didn’t betray his thoughts. “Very well. Instead of letting you go two years earlier, now you will be mine for two more. I look forward to the next 70 years, _Buchanan_.” The god lifted himself from the tree, the one small movement making him loom impossibly over Bucky.

Bucky tried not to show the crushing despair he felt, but it was hard. He’d already served two years, and now he was back to square one. He closed his eyes, gathering himself. “Please, it wasn’t my fault. Some… some guy showed up, big and blonde and righteous, and beat the hell from Brockis. Said his name was Stephanos,” Bucky explained.

The god looked up, unwilling comprehension and anger on his face as his dark eyes widened. His hands slowly clenched into fists, the shadows at his feet swirling and roiling more violently than ever.

“Stephanos… big and blonde… why does that sound familiar?” Panic muttered to himself, pacing as the stirrings of unease grew in him.

Pain shrugged. “Maybe we were sent to torture him?” The two went unnoticed.

Hades swept over to Bucky, demanding, “ _What_ did you just say?”

Unsure of why it mattered, Bucky hesitantly said, “Stephanos. Goes by Steve. Large, blonde hair and blue eyes. He swung Brockis around like he was a doll.” Fire now licked at Hades’ robes, and the surrounding area was growing even darker as they spoke.

“Oh _no_ ,” Pain said, meeting his brother’s eyes as they realized why they knew this man. “He sounds like the child that we were… supposed to….”

Fire sprang up from the ground around Hades as shadows whipped out to wrap around his servants. Pain and Panic shrieked as they were caught, and Bucky backed away, creeping behind a tree, unwilling to get caught in the crossfire.

Now, terrible anger clearly rang through Hades’ words. “So… you _took care_ of him, did you?” His hands squeezed the throats of the demons, who were flailing uselessly in his grasp. “ _Mortal_ and as _deceased_ as Eurydice, is what you told me.”

“We’re sorry,” Panic choked.

“Maybe it’s a different Stephanos?” Pain offered, crying out as fire flickered over the hand that was holding him.

Hades growled, “I am about to change the heavens and overtake Mount Olympus itself, and now the _one man_ who can stop it is _still alive_?” Shadows writhed and boiled around the god, the plants closest to him withered away, and his form was wreathed in flames. Bucky stared with wide eyes, never having seen Hades so shaken before. The god threw Pain and Panic across the clearing with a wordless snarl of rage.

The two bounced up, eager to please their master. “Wait, wait, we could still stop him!” Panic cried.

Pain nodded vigorously, adding, “We still made him mortal, right?”

That gave Hades pause, and Bucky watched as he visibly calmed himself with a slow inhale. “I suppose that is correct.” He looked back up at Bucky, who inwardly cringed at the dark and fiery gaze. “Luckily for you, we do have time to take care of him. _Properly_.”

Bucky swallowed, guilt and unease creeping through him. It was a foreign feeling; normally he could do whatever was asked of him, without question. It was hard to remember his morals when the God of the Dead owned his life. But Steve had seemed like a good guy, if a bit too optimistic and naïve, and Bucky worried what would happen to Steve once Hades got his hands on him. It could be nothing good, and Bucky had led Hades right to him. Bucky didn’t want Hades’ plan to succeed at all, but he knew better than to try and sabotage it- he would be in Tartarus so fast his head would spin. He was stuck here, on the wrong side, for the rest of his life.

  _Be careful, Steve. Keep fighting.’_

* * *

Meanwhile, Steve, Sam, and Pegasus had landed in Thebes; Steve had never seen such a big city. People were hustling and bustling everywhere, drawing carts and horses and mules loaded with goods and food. He couldn’t stop himself from looking around in wonder; being raised on the edge of a small farming town, with the closest bigger city at least a couple hours’ walk away, Steve had never seen so many people in one place at one time. Sam kept a grip on Steve’s elbow, steering him through the crowds, jerking him out of someone’s way more than once. Steve was barely paying attention to where he was going, rather looking at all of the sights.

“I hate this place,” Sam said, growling under his breath as he kept bobbing and weaving around all of the inhabitants. “The crime rate is unbelievable, and everyone here is always so terrible to one another. Watch your coin purse.”

Steve had to admit, the closer he looked, the seedier the city appeared. Shifty people hung out at every alleyway, calling out sales and bargains to the pedestrians going by. There were plenty of beggars around, holding out cups for coins, but no one even paid them a glance. “Yeah, this place doesn’t seem ideal,” he responded. Steve loved the hustle and bustle, he decided, but he could do without the negativity that he could practically feel spreading through the streets.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, “which is why I decided to bring you here first. If anywhere could use a helping hand, it’s Thebes.”

Pegasus had chosen to stay outside of the city, in a small copse of trees just beyond the limits, in an effort not to draw attention to himself. So Sam and Steve alone wandered, looking for any opportunities to help people, though all Steve could find was that people were _really_ different in the city.

It was well into the afternoon, after they had already stopped for both a meal and a snack, Steve outraged at the ridiculous prices of everything, that they found a reasonable start. Grouped around a well were four of the city inhabitants, talking about the latest news.

“And did you hear about that huge fire last week?” an older woman asked as she wrung out her laundry.

“Yeah,” said a man, “people were saying that someone started it on purpose.”

“This whole city has gone to the dogs,” commented a younger man, glaring at the stone wall beside them. “How many minotaur attacks have there been in the last couple months?”

“Too many,” replied a second woman, drawing up a bucket of water.

Upon hearing this snippet of conversation Steve looked at Sam, questioning and excited. Sam nodded, and gave Steve a little push between his shoulder blades. “Go show them a real hero,” Sam said, standing back to watch.

Steve walked up to the group, trying his best to seem confident and strong. “Hello, I’ve heard that you all have some problems in the city, and could use someone to help!” Steve smiled at them winningly, but none of the group were impressed.

“Oh _sure_ ,” replied the older woman, hands on her hips. “How I wish for some young hero to just- swoop in and solve all of our problems!”

“ _Please_ ,” added on the younger man, “there aren’t even any real heroes anymore, and to be honest, none of them were all that great to begin with.”

Steve felt his shoulders slump a bit out of their high stance, and he started floundering. “But… Don’t you all need help?”

The older man scoffed, gathering up his things. “Yeah, maybe the city does, but I don’t think _you’d_ be able to help us at all, kid.”

A couple of the other members of the group snickered, and Steve could feel his face flushing. He was equal parts embarrassed and annoyed, that even when he was offering to try and solve their problems, people wouldn’t take him seriously. He also felt like a fool; it couldn’t have been that easy, and he should’ve realized that there were probably better ways to go about this, then to go around simply pronouncing himself a hero.

“Well…” Steve honestly wasn’t sure what he could say.

“Have you actually ever done a heroic deed?” asked the youngest woman.

“Well, I think-” stammered Steve.

“Or have you ever slain a beast?” asked the younger man, sneering at Steve.

“ _Actually-_ ” Steve started, feeling more and more frustrated by the second.

“How do _you_ expect to be able to help us?” asked the old woman.

Just as Steve was about to open his mouth and try to defend himself, he heard a man shouting from behind him. “Help! Help! Somebody help us!” Steve whirled around, and was shocked to see Bucky, of all people, running in their direction through the crowded streets.

“Bucky?” Steve called out, happy to see him again, even though it obviously wasn’t in the best of circumstances

Sam sighed, muttering, “So much for losing him….”

Upon seeing Steve, Bucky’s eyes widened dramatically, and he swerved to run directly to Steve. “Oh my gods, I’m so glad I found you! My sisters, they were playing over by the gorge, and there was a rock fall,  and they’re trapped, and nobody can move the rocks-”

Steve put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, trying not to overthink how nice it felt. “Woah, woah, slow down. Show me where it is, and I can help.” Bucky nodded, and immediately turned, grabbing onto Steve’s forearm to drag him through the streets. “Wait,” Steve said, digging in his heels and stopping Bucky in his tracks, “I have a faster way to travel.” As Bucky raised an eyebrow at him, Steve put his fingers in his mouth and whistled for Pegasus.

Within seconds Pegasus landed before them, snorting angrily as he saw Bucky. However, Bucky visibly paled, and took a step back from the winged horse. “Ah- no thanks. I’m really not good with hei-” Unwilling to waste anymore time, Steve took Bucky by the waist and threw him up onto Pegasus’s back, hopping on after.

“It’ll be fine!” Steve called back, nudging Pegasus to take off. “Just point it out when we get there!” Bucky didn’t respond, merely wrapping his arm around Steve’s waist in a death grip. Pegasus snorted once more, before shooting into the sky so fast that even Steve had to grip tighter onto his mane. Behind him, Bucky let out a high-pitched yelp, burying his face into Steve’s shoulder blades. Steve resolutely did _not_ think about how close they currently were.

Down on the ground, Sam let out a loud groan of frustration, and started jogging in the direction the flying horse had gone. “Sure, just leave me down here. One look into pretty boy’s face and he just forgets who brought him here,” he muttered as he ran.

* * *


	4. Zero to Hero

**Chapter 3**

Pegasus flew at incredible speeds, doing so many sharp banks and turns that Steve couldn’t help but wonder if the horse was trying to throw Bucky off. Just past the edge of town, Bucky glanced up only long enough to point Steve towards where there was a huge pile of rocks by a cliff face. Pegasus shot into a sharp dive- much sharper than it had to be- and jolted onto the ground. Bucky moaned again, his arm squeezing even tighter around Steve’s waist.

Steve patted Bucky’s arm lightly, and after a second Bucky gingerly let go. His face was even paler than before, hair windswept and wild. “Never. Again,” Bucky declared shakily, taking several pointed steps away from the smug horse after dismounting. Steve couldn’t help but grin at how unfairly cute it was.

“Help!” called out one of the girls from under the rocks.

“Somebody get us out!” cried the other.

Steve hurried forward, determination furrowing his brow and straightening his shoulders. It would be simple enough to get the rocks out of the way, but he also had to be sure that he didn’t cause further rockslides or accidentally injure Bucky’s sisters. After taking a minute to assess the placement of all the rocks, he began moving them. Some were easy enough, and he tossed them to the side with one hand. Others were much heavier, or larger and more cumbersome, and he had to wrap both arms around them and lift with his knees. He could hear a crowd murmuring a bit behind his back, but didn’t turn around, focused completely on his task. 

Some of the last few rocks that had fallen first, most likely the ones that had caused the slide in the first place, were huge, taller than Steve was. Setting his jaw, Steve bent at the knees, fitting his hands under the rock and slowly lifting it. He had never purposely lifted so much at once, and it was a strain on his muscles like he had never felt before. Slowly but surely, the rock lifted up from the ground and Steve raised it over his head in triumph as it opened a gap big enough for the girls to crawl through.

The crowd of curious cityfolk that had followed them gasped and cheered as the girls escaped,  and clapped loudly as Steve set the enormous rock back down on the ground. Breathing hard, but elated at his success in the rescue, Steve turned, smiling broadly at the crowd that he had gathered. He waved, feeling as light as a cloud, and watched the two girls scamper off. Steve turned to talk to Bucky, to thank him for bringing him here and to make sure his sisters were alright, but Bucky was nowhere to be seen. 

Hades watched from a cliff higher up in the gorge as the young demi-god preened under the crowd’s attention. Sneering, he waited for Pain and Panic to return, shifting back into their natural demonic forms rather than the young girls they had been pretending to be. “Excellent performance,” he said dryly. Pain and Panic snickered, elbowing each other.

Bucky arrived not too long after, feeling slightly sick, both from the impromptu flight and from the guilt. Steve had been so eager to help, and he didn’t even know what was coming. Settling on a rock, Bucky watched avidly, chewing harshly on his bottom lip.

“And now… the main event,” Hades announced, smug excitement dripping from his words. Pain and Panic giggled louder, excited for the show. Low rumbles and snarls began to sound, growing louder and louder with each passing second. Hades’ monster was angry, and hungry, and even Steve didn’t stand a chance.

“Go, get  _ out _ of there, you idiot….” Bucky whispered helplessly, fearing having to watch the kind soul be torn apart. 

Below, Sam had finally caught up to Steve, winded from his run through the city. "Sam- I did it! I saved the girls!" Steve cried, feeling light and airy from the rescue. He had  _ saved  _ someone, rescued Bucky’s sisters from certain death! He felt good, and accomplished, and  _ useful. _

Rolling his eyes, obviously still annoyed at being left behind, Sam retorted, “Oh great, and where’s your boy?” 

Steve had barely opened his mouth to respond indignantly when a loud, horrible growl ripped through the enclosed area. The gathered townspeople started murmuring to themselves uneasily, and Steve shared a look with Sam. "That doesn't sound good," Sam commented, already backing away from where the noises were coming from. 

Steve hefted his shield into his hands, readying himself into a fighting stance. Whatever was in that gorge.... he would be ready. It was simply the next step in proving himself a hero.

Out of the gloom stormed an enormous beast, scaly and foul-smelling, screeching emanating from its large, lizard-like head. Steve felt himself droop a bit, shocked at the sheer size of the thing. "What is that?" he cried, re-adjusting his grip on the shield. It was a monster, and so he would have to fight it- there was no other choice, not for him.

"It's a hydra,” Sam shouted, edging away from the beast. "We might wanna run this time instead!" 

As if Steve could stand to run, leaving a monster behind to terrorize these townspeople. Gritting his teeth, Steve started forward towards the hydra, shield up and blocking his torso. The beast swayed in time with his steps, sickly green eyes fixed on Steve's every move. Steve merely paced around it, trying to get a feel for its movement, trying to think of a plan; this hydra seemed infinitely more dangerous than the centaur he had beaten earlier. 

It wasn't long before the hydra struck, lashing out with is abnormally long neck, teeth snapping closed on air as Steve dove out of the way, rolling back to his feet. He could distantly hear some clapping, and Sam yelling encouraging things, but Steve couldn't afford to lose focus for a second. When the hydra lashed out again, Steve jumped back, bringing his shield up to strike the hydra sharply on the head. The beast shrieked, shaking its slimy head, rearing back in anger. Steve smirked to himself, getting into the rhythm. The monster would strike, he'd dance out of the way, hit it back, and then eventually he'd win!

His plan didn't last more than another minute. As soon as the hydra figured out Steve's game, the beast struck out with its tongue, wrapping the wet and disgusting muscle around Steve's leg. Steve fell to the ground with a yelp, and then cried out again as the hydra tossed him in the air like a cat does a mouse. Steve flailed and kicked as he came back down to earth, but the hydra simply opened its jaws... and swallowed him.

The crowd gasped, and Sam hung his head. "Gods, what a shame," he murmured sadly. He had really started to like Steve, and he had been such a promising hero. 

Up from his vantage point, Hades smiled grimly, sitting back in his chair in satisfaction. Bucky looked away, unable to watch anymore. He felt sick with himself and his betayal of the man’s trust.

The hydra shrieked in triumph, turning its head towards the city folk. People began screaming and crying out, realizing too late how much danger they were in. They started running, scattering for the city, but just as the hydra lunged towards them, it stopped, something bringing it up short. An odd gurgling noise sounded from its throat, which seemed to be moving by itself, and the hydra made what could only be a questioning, confused sound. Like a knife slicing through an overripe peach, Steve's shield cut through the hydra's neck, blood and viscera splattering out around him. 

The crowd cheered as the hydra fell lifelessly to the ground, its head all but dismembered. Steve stumbled away from the carcass, dizzy and nauseous but so thankful to be alive. His shield slipped from his slimy fingers, and he cringed at himself, covered in the gods only knew what.

"Yes!" Sam cheered, "way to go Steve!" Steve tiredly lifted a hand, before slumping to his knees on the ground. Sam hurried forward, an arm going around Steve's shoulders. "Come on, buddy, let's get you cleaned up...."  Mumbling incoherently, Steve let himself be dragged upright, too out of it to even protest the help. The experience had been  _ horrifying _ .

Bucky hopped up from his seat, beaming in triumph. He couldn’t believe that Steve had come out on top, but was absurdly pleased to see Hades bested. “Hah! So much for your unbeatable monster.” He glanced over at Hades with a grin, sure that the god was about to throw another fit, but to his consternation, the god was _smirking_.   

“Be patient, this is not over yet,” Hades said, eyes on the valley below them. 

The two fighters had only made it a few feet before a low grumbling noise sounded behind them, causing the pair to freeze. The hydra’s body was twitching and shifting, moving and bubbling like some sort of viscous stew, and to Steve’s horror, the beast stood up again, now with two heads coming from its shoulders.

Steve blanched up at the monster, feeling the sick slide of terror and hopelessness go through him. “What?” he asked weakly, still woozy from his unplanned trip into the beast’s maw.

Sam stared up at the creature with equal horror, and muttered, “It’s a hydra- cut off one head, two more shall grow in its place. I didn’t think the legends were true…” 

Steve gave a sharp nod, accepting his duty. Now more than ever the people who lived here needed his help; he couldn’t abandon them. Pulling away from Sam, Steve took up his shield again, and turned to face the hydra. He ignored Sam’s protests, merely pushing past the satyr to face the monster. 

The hydra refocused its attention on Steve, almost grinning with its two separate rows of sharp teeth. With an awful, terrifying shriek, the beast charged, running across the clearing towards Steve. Whistling sharply, Steve ran at the monster, leaping into the air just as Pegasus swooped in to catch him. The pair soared high, trying to escape the long reach of the hydra necks. The snakelike heads twisted and turned after them, snapping and hissing. 

Rearing back and throwing his shield with all of his might, Steve sliced through one of the necks, catching the metal disk as it rebounded off the rock face beside him. The other head came rushing at him, and without a chance to think, Steve aimed and threw, cutting clean through this one too. Only suddenly there were four heads now, surrounding him and screeching fit the wake the gods, and Steve gasped, trying to keep his fear in control. 

Using the only weapon he had, he threw the shield again and again, Pegasus working wildly to both avoid the beast’s heads and to bring Steve within range of catching the shield. Sometimes Steve cut off a head, other times he just pissed one off, but the more he threw, the more heads he took off, the more replaced them, and soon it felt as if Steve was in a sea of hissing, writhing heads. 

“Oh my gods, forget your shield! It’s not working!” Sam shouted, though he had no idea what would work better to fight the monster. 

Bucky watched anxiously from above, his previous momentary elation gone. He could see Steve start to panic, get overwhelmed, and it just made the guilt in Buckys chest worse; not only would he have to watch Steve die, but he was watching Steve get toyed with like a mouse by a large, terrifying cat. 

As Pegasus circled just above the reach of the innumerable heads, Steve’s mind whirred, trying to think of how in the world to defeat the hydra. None of his training had covered anything like this- how could he kill something that only got  _ worse _ when you chopped it’s head off? Steve thought he remembered a story about fire being used to prevent the heads from regrowing, but he was fresh out of flame at the moment. 

During his frantic thoughts, one of the heads got a lucky hit, knocking Steve off of Pegasus’s back, the flying horse sprawling out in the air. Steve cried out as he fell, shield slipping from his grasp, only to have all the wind knocked out of him as an enormous clawed limb smashed him into the cliff face. Wheezing in both breathlessness and terror, Steve stared up at the multiple heads currently staring at him, all eyeing him with cold malice and hunger. He could feel their putrid breath on him, smell the mildew growing on its scales. 

The crowd of city folk had gone silent, and Bucky had returned to averting his gaze. Pegasus circled above the Hydra, unable to reach Steve to help. There was a crushing tension as man and beast stared each other down.

There was nothing Steve could use to fight off the beast, his shield somewhere on the ground and the hydra keeping his body flat against the rocks.  _ The rocks….  _ Looking up, Steve saw an outcropping of rock a couple hundred yards above, and, thinking quickly and sending a prayer up to the gods, he lifted both of his arms and smashed them backwards into the cliff. 

Instantly, cracks appeared in the stone and thundering  _ snaps  _ and  _ cracks  _ could be heard from the rock face. Even the hydra froze, eyeing the cliff distrustfully. Within seconds, dust and pebbles were raining down on Steve, then small stones, then larger rocks, until the entire shelf above them was crashing onto them. Steve had one moment to hope that this would work, before everything went dark. 

When the dust settled, everyone looked on in shock. The hydra could be somewhat seen under the rocks, unmoving and lifeless, which was cause for celebration. But Steve was nowhere to be found, and murmurs spread through the crowd. Shock, confusion, and a tiny bit of guilt could be felt in the air.

Sam slowly shook his head, sadness weighing down his shoulders. “There goes another one….” Even though there was nothing he could have done, Sam felt responsible for Steve, even for agreeing to train him in the first place. It never got easier, no matter how many heroes- how many  _ friends _ \- Sam lost. He turned away, shoulders sagging, and Pegasus landed next to the satyr, giving a dejected whinny. 

Suddenly, the body of the hydra shifted. Everyone in the valley froze, staring with horror at the large reptilian corpse. An arm fell out of the pile of rubble, and some townspeople screamed, others starting to slowly and quietly sneak away. The great claws of the beast shifted, the hand twitching and opening-- only to let fall a bruised and battered Steve, groaning slightly into the ground. 

There was shocked silence in the valley, before everyone burst into cheers, clapping and whistling. Sam beamed, the brightest Steve had ever seen him smile, and rushed over to help the blond up. Pegasus jumped into the air and trilled, doing flips in his joy. Steve gave a bashful wave to the cheering townspeople, looking awkward yet please when they surrounded him, crying out gratitude and blessings. It was overwhelming in the best way, and Steve was dazed from more than just the hard hits to the head he took. 

“You did good, Steve,” Sam said warmly, patting the hero’s shoulder.

Up above on the cliff, Hades gave a low, frustrated scream, startling Bucky who had been watching with wide (definitely not  _ teary _ ) eyes. “Unbe _ lievable _ !” Hades shouted, flames instantly roiling at his ankles, tendrils of darkness wrapping around him and thrashing the air. It was a terrifying sight, to be sure, but also a satisfying one.

As the god stormed and skulked, Bucky allowed himself a small smile as he watching the hero be carried out of the valley by the grateful cityfolk. “Nice job, golden boy, he murmured.”

* * *

From that day on, everyone trusted Steve to be the hero that they needed. Any monster that needed slaying, every person that needed rescuing, and every cat stuck up in a tree (even if Steve was horribly allergic)- they knew they could count on Steve. It seemed that Sam had been right- Thebes was home to a plague of problems. It seemed like every week there was a new creature to be fought, or a new disaster threatening the town. From giant boars that he shot down with an arrow, vicious lions that he wrestled into submission, and volcanoes he stopped from erupting, Steve was earning his status left and right.

The people of Thebes- the people of all of Northern Greece, really- were ecstatic. People wanted to build statues of him, bring painters to memorialize his face on tapestries and urns, even get him to carve his name into their tablets. There were even plays about his feats, which were surreal to watch.  It was so different to what Steve had experienced before- no one would have given him the time of day, least of all the  _ women _ that hounded him night and day.

This was the most mind-boggling development for Steve, who had never had anyone show the slightest bit of interest in him before. Short, skinny men didn’t tend to attract a lot of admirers, especially someone as freakish as Steve. The women who spoke to him now were…  _ nice _ , but insistent, and he had taken to hiding in alleyways or small shops more than once. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find someone- he did- but he told himself that he wasn’t ready for that yet, that he needed more time to prove his worth and get to Olympus. 

It definitely didn’t have anything to do with soft brown hair, a razor sharp jawline with a cocky smirk, and stormy blue eyes.

Meanwhile, watching from afar in the dark cliffs that surrounded part of the city, Hades was  _ fuming _ . Everything he had thrown at the young demigod- every creature he had at his command, every disaster he could control- had backfired spectacularly. He had tried to defeat Hercules for weeks now, and nothing had been successful- the boy was merely gaining more influence and popularity. Hades stalked back and forth across the stone, his now perpetual flames surrounding his steps.

Bucky watched in barely concealed smugness, leaning back against a stone wall. Not only was it supremely satisfying to watch Hades fail and see his carefully constructed plan fall to ashes, but Bucky could feel himself admiring Steve more and more. Bucky had had his doubts at first, since surely someone that humble and chivalrous couldn’t possibly be real. But the more Bucky watched the blond, the more he saw that Steve was simply a  _ good man _ . Bucky hadn’t even known they still existed, and he was dying to get a chance to run into Steve, just one more time. 

“I have a mere day to stop this  _ fool _ from ruining my plans, and nothing has even come close to working!” Hades growled to himself, hands clenched into fists. Pain and Panic fidgeted nervously a few meters away, unable to help their master, scared of catching the brunt of his anger.

Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, standing up to come closer to the cliff’s edge. Steve was currently helping reconstruct the front of the building, serving as a workhorse carrying heavy materials, and holding up the workers who couldn’t quite reach their post. “Looks like your plan might not succeed after all,” he murmured, and really, wasn’t that for the better? Bucky was still human enough to know that. “There’s nothing you can do that he can’t handle.”

Pausing, Hades looked Bucky up and down, a horribly pleased look sliding over his face. “Yes, I’m seeing that. But I wonder…” He came closer to Bucky, near enough that the human could feel the cold caress of the shadowy tendrils surrounding the god. “I wonder if he could handle what  _ you _ could do.”

A chill raced down Bucky’s spine, everything in him revolting against the idea of using Steve like that. Bucky knew his own worth was little, but it would be downright cruel to Steve, who was still so naive in so many ways. “Forget it,” Bucky said, clenching down hard on the instinctual fear that came with Hades staring at him so closely, “I won’t do it.”

Hades chuckled lowly, reaching a hand to brush down Bucky’s arm, a shudder wracking through Bucky. “There are  _ always _ weaknesses, if you know where to look, even in that boy. Get close enough to him, and he will reveal his to you.” The god smiled at Bucky, though there was a coldness in it that showed there wasn’t really an option in it for Bucky.

Still, Bucky had to try. “No, absolutely not. I’m not going to do that to him.” Bucky had done a lot of reprehensible things in his life, but taking advantage of someone like Steve… it was just  _ wrong _ .

Tilting his head, Hades narrowed his eyes, making Bucky swallow hard. “Strange, I would think that you would  _ want _ to save his life. Remind me- that’s the sort of thing that got you into this mess, wasn’t it?”

Bucky inhaled sharply, looking away. Hades wasn’t wrong- Bucky had gotten into his contract with the Lord of the Dead four years ago, in the throws of a war. Bucky and a few of his men had been trapped, half of them seriously injured and Bucky unable to feel his arm, and he had prayed for anyone, anything, to help them. Darkness had crept over their huddled darkness, a cold and stale wind suddenly blowing over them. No one had known what was happening, even Bucky.

Hades had appeared to them, making several of Bucky’s men fervently try and hide, averting their gaze and gripping their holy medallions. Bucky had been wide-eyed, astonished that someone had actually listened, even if it was the God of the Dead. Hades, in that smooth, quiet voice he had,  had offered him a deal: he would save Bucky and his men, if Bucky pledged to serve him when the time came. Panicked, unable to see any other way out, Bucky had steeled himself and agreed, offering Hades a droplet of blood from his injured arm to seal the pact. 

In that moment, Hades had grinned so coldly that Bucky gasped, feeling that cold seep through his very bones. The god simply snapped his fingers before disappearing, and Bucky found himself and his men in an open field, hundreds of meters from the fighting. They had fallen to their knees, thanking the dark god and counting their blessings. They had also fervently thanked Bucky for making the sacrifice, and he had smiled thinly back.

Of course, a deal like that hadn’t been without its price. Bucky had still ended up losing his left arm, rendering him useless to fight. All but one of his men had ended up dead within a month, either from wounds in battle or sickness in their home. It had made Bucky sick with guilt, to know that he may have been directly responsible for their early end. He should have known better.

Hades hadn’t come calling for two years, just long enough for Bucky to start thinking that perhaps the god had decided he didn’t have any use of Bucky after all. Again, Bucky should have known better. He had been taken right from his family home, away from his mother and sisters, and secreted away to one of Hades earthly lairs. Bucky hadn’t seen his family since, nor did he want to- they would be sick if they saw what he had become.

Shaking his head to bring himself out of his reverie, Bucky sneered shakily at the god, wrapping his arm around his torso. “Yea, well, I learned my lesson about listening to  _ you _ . I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me these last years, but I won’t do this.” Not only was Steve too good for the likes of Bucky… but Bucky  _ really  _ didn’t want to see Hades’ plan succeed.

Humming, Hades steepled his hands, starting to walk in a slow circle around Bucky. The human twisted, trying to keep him in eyesight. “Yes, you’re right, you have done relatively well in serving me. However, I have a feeling that you won’t be able to resist my offer,” the god said silkily. Bucky’s brow furrowed, and he bit his lip as he waited the god out. “If you do this, if you find the key to stopping Stephanos and my plan succeeds, I’ll give you what you want most- your  _ freedom _ .” Hades whispered the last words into Bucky’s ear, before stepping away with a small, sharp grin.

Bucky gasped, eyes wide. He still had seventy  _ years  _ of serving Hades- but in doing this, he could be rid of this mess forever, grow and age like a normal human, maybe even see his family again. He swallowed, heart thrumming in his chest, mind racing. It was selfish, so  _ horribly _ selfish and awful, but… Bucky didn’t want to spend the next seventy years in this hell. He’d had enough.

“Okay,” he whispered, closing his eyes as he hated himself that little bit more. 

* * *

Steve traveled in the dark of night to the city’s temple to Zeus, ecstatic to share the news with his father. He was proud of all that he had accomplished over the past six weeks, both in saving others and in building a name for himself. All Steve had ever wanted was to be worth something, to show that he wasn’t useless, and now he had proved it in spades.

Zeus was already awake when Steve arrived, and Steve immediately launched into a retelling of his eventful month, complete with wild gestures and a large smile. Zeus seemed to enjoy it, a matching smile on his large stone face, laughing and clapping during the stories when appropriate. As much as all of the recent attention had been putting Steve at unease, now he just felt proud retelling his accomplishments, especially to one of the people who mattered the most.

When Steve finished, Zeus cried out, “Excellent! You’ve done very well, and you’ve made me quite proud!”

Flushing, Steve grinned, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m glad to hear you say that, father. I’ve been meaning to ask…. Do you think I could come back to Olympus now?” It wasn’t that Steve disliked where he was now- far from it, he had made quite a friend in Sam- but a chance to join the gods and live in Olympus… it was a dream come true.

Zeus frowned, something like sorrow in his face. “Son… you’ve really done wonderful things, and I am very proud of what you accomplished. But, you haven’t  _ truly _ become a hero, not yet.”

Steve’s jaw clenched, shock and a bit of hurt entering his expression. “I’ve beaten every monster that came my way, I’ve saved countless lives, I’ve tried to do good by everyone that I meet. What part of that isn’t enough?” It stung, to know that still, despite all that he had won and achieved, that he still wasn’t  _ good enough _ .

Shaking his head, Zeus sat back in his marble throne. “There’s more to being a hero than simply vanquishing beasts, Stephanos.”

“Well, then what else can I do? Tell me, and I’ll do it!” Steve cried.

Zeus closed his eyes, already preparing to fade back into stone. “I’m sorry, my son, but I can’t tell you that. It’s something you must discover yourself.” 

With that, Zeus froze, unliving stone once more. Steve gave a wordless shout of rage, fists clenched. Even after all that he had done, he was still  _ nothing _ , not good enough to join his father in Olympus, still worthless. All of his anger slowly drained away, leaving him tired and sorrowful. Pegasus came to stand by him, and Steve leaned his weight on the horse, standing in the dark and silent temple for a long time to come.  


	5. I Won't Say (I'm in Love)

**Chapter 4**

Steve couldn’t believe his life had come to this. He was supposed to be a  _ hero _ , someone who saved people and destroyed monsters and did things that  _ mattered _ . Despite his disappointed conversation with this father last week, Steve was still determined to make it, certain that one day he would see the home of the gods,  _ his _ home. But now… now he was in yet another costume fitting, this time for some play that Sam had agreed to for him.

Frowning heavily as the- perfectly pleasant and nice- old lady tutted and pinned and measured the robes around him- Steve sighed, glaring daggers over at Sam. Steve was nothing better than a performing monkey, had had no monsters to fight in at least two weeks, Sam filling his schedule with appearances and introductions to important people and just general glad-making. It was all fine and good, except that it made Steve’s skin crawl to be on display, made him feel like a phony and a nobody to be kissing up to high-ranking officials. He was made for  _ more _ than this.

Making up his mind, he gently pushed the older woman away, who seem disgruntled at her work being interrupted. He winced at her apologetically, before hopping down off the pedestal and walking to where Sam was sitting, people watching in the market square. 

“Sam?” Steve said, feeling hesitant to disregard his friend’s advice but feeling firm in his stance. “Why am I here?”

Glancing over at him, Sam raised an eyebrow. “To get new robes for the play next week.” 

Steve could see that Sam was being obstinate on purpose, and the blond rolled his eyes. “No, I mean… why am I doing  _ this _ ? Surely there’s other, far more important things for me to be doing with my time than playing dress-up.” As Steve spoke his voice got harder, feeling the frustration boil up inside of him. 

Sighing, Sam stood up from his seat, studying Steve’s face for a moment. “Look, Steve,” the satyr started, “I know this isn’t ideal. But being a hero, being a people’s man, isn’t  _ just _ about beating up monsters. You have to show that you’re friendly, personable, and fun.” Steve scoffed, but Sam held up a finger. “I  _ know _ that you don’t like it, and truth be told, I don’t either. You think I like sitting around here all day waiting for you to talk to these idiots, or finish getting all dressed up?” Sam smirked at him, and Steve couldn’t help but return it. 

Stepping forward, Sam clapped Steve on the shoulder. “Look, I’m not lying to you when I say that you’re the best I ever seen. You’ve got strength, inside and out, and you’re a good person, Steve. It’s the public that has to learn that, and get to know you too.”

Hanging his head, now feeling a bit bad about getting so angry over what were, in the end, small things, Steve nodded. “Yea, I got it. Sorry, Sam, I’ll go back to getting all dressed up for you,” he said, giving Sam a smile. 

Sam rolled his eyes, but before he could retaliate, there was a pointed cough from the entrance to their building, and Steve looked up to see two women and a man standing before them. “Uh, hi?” Steve said, caught off guard. Sam elbowed him, and Steve elbowed him back, noting with faint satisfaction the quiet hiss of pain from the other.

“We’ve been waiting for you to come outside- what’s taking so long?” simpered the blonde woman, affecting a pout. 

Her brunette friend nodded, adding dramatically, “Yea, how long were you going to keep us waiting?”

Steve swallowed, uncomfortable with the way all three of the newcomers were brazenly looking over him from head to toe. He had gotten this more and more often over the previous weeks, suitors and potential lovers and people generally interesting in  _ having _ him, and it never got easier. Not only was he hopelessly inexperienced but… he just wasn’t  _ interested _ in anyone. 

_ ‘Well, maybe a certain someone…. _ ’ Steve shook his head to dislodge that thought- he hadn’t seen Bucky since the hydra incident- and noticed with dismay the trio was even closer now.

“Come on,” purred the man, “why don’t you take a break, relax with us for a while?”

Steve shot a panicked look at Sam, who simply rolled his eyes again. “Uh, no, thank you, I’m fine. Not a stressful day today,” Steve said, giving a nervous laugh. 

The blonde woman let a hand gracefully pat his shoulder, lingering. “Well, we just want to thank you for all that you’ve done for our city,” she murmured. 

Gulping again, Steve leaned away from the touch, giving a tense smile. “Really, there’s no need, just doing my job.”

Now the man moved closer, giving Steve what could only be described as a predatory smirk. “Don’t be modest,” he said, patting Steve’s cheek, “you have  _ nothing _ to be modest about.”

As Steve was reaching the end of his rope, unable to find an easy way out of this situation, Sam finally came to his rescue. “Alright, alright, that’s enough. You can show your thanks the same way everyone else does- buy a ticket to the next show. Come on, out,” Sam ordered, shooing the three away from Steve. They backed away reluctantly, alternating between sending Steve pleading looks and shooting Sam glares. He ushered the trio out of the building, practically pushing the brunette woman who tried to linger and send Steve hot looks. 

Finally able to breathe, Steve hung his head, letting out a quiet grumble. This was  _ nothing _ like he’d expected being a hero to be.

“Wow, so this is what you spend your days doing?” A familiar voice rang through the now empty room, and Steve’s head jerked up, eyes wide. Standing there, hand on his hip and smirking, was Bucky.

A smile growing on his face, Steve eagerly walked closer to the other man. “Bucky! It’s so good to see you- I missed you!” Steve immediately blushed, inwardly thrashing himself for sounding so eager, like some child. 

Luckily, Bucky just chuckled, waving his hand in the air. “I’ve been busy. But it’s good to see you too.  _ You’ve _ been busy, that’s for sure.” Bucky wandered deeper into the room, inspecting the various clothing and painted pottery strewn throughout. “Seems like everyone wants a piece of you nowadays.” His tone was unreadable, and he kept his face turned away from Steve.

Shrugging, trailing a few feet behind Bucky as he explored the room, Steve gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Yea, well, now that I’m a  _ hero _ , seems like there’s always something else that needs my face on it.” Steve knew he sounded ungrateful, but it really was  _ exhausting _ some days, unable to step out his own door without being accosted.

Bucky turned to look at him over his shoulder, an impish grin on his face. “You sound like you could use a day off. Want to make a break for it?” He turned fully towards Steve, holding out his hand.

Staring at the proffered limb for a moment, Steve felt a small smile bloom as he slowly reached his hand out to take Bucky’s. “I don’t know, Sam has a lot of things arranged for me to do.” Steve wasn’t very keen on doing all of those things, but he did feel slightly guilty at the thought of abandoning all the hard work Sam had done.

Scoffing and giving a little tug on their joined hands, Bucky responded, “Goat boy? Please, I’m sure he’d like the day off too.” When Steve still didn’t move, Bucky sighed dramatically, giving Steve a wide-eyed, sad look that worked  _ wonders _ on convincing Steve. “Come on, I even have the perfect place in mind.”

Already gone, Steve could only beam and nod, and let an enthusiastic Bucky pull him back out of the stuffy building. They ran through the streets of the city, Steve smiling with a childlike excitement at leaving behind his worries for the moment. Far enough away from the building they had been in, they stopped to catch their breath, laughing softly.

“So- what now?” Steve prompted, eyes sparkling as he glanced sideways at Bucky. The brunet simply grinned, and took Steve’s hand again. 

The two spent all day together. They ate lunch in a restaurant that had a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, walked through a crowded market square, laughing at the strange odds and ends they found, and even went walking through fields, observing peaceful horses strolling and eating grass without a care. It was without a doubt one of the best days Steve had ever had, and even as the sun sunk below the horizon, he was loathe to let it end.

Bucky was sharp and witty, always ready with a sarcastic remark or dirty joke. His laugh was high and boisterous, and his eyes crinkled adorably when he smiled. He was kind and chivalrous, and was a good listener as he asked stories about Steve and his life. Bucky never spoke much about his own life, always changing the subject or deflecting perfectly, but Steve didn’t mind- he hoped there would be plenty of time later to learn more about the man.

Steve didn’t even know if this had counted as a date- he knew that Bucky was interested in men, and at times he definitely seemed to like flirting with Steve, but it very well could be just how Bucky  _ was _ . Bucky never said or did anything to imply anything more than friendship, and even some things Bucky said  might have simply been Steve’s hope bleeding through. It was confusing, and made Steve’s heart ache a little, but he wasn’t ready to push it, not until he was sure.

They ended up in a courtyard filled with beautiful stonework, benches and statues and bird baths amidst the flowers and green paths. There were even two birds in the bird bath closest to them, tweeting loudly, though Bucky gave the animals a strange, distasteful look as they descended the stairs into the courtyard.

Inhaling, Steve ventured, “I never thought running away from my problems could be so much fun.” He stopped and turned at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Bucky with a smile. 

Bucky grinned at him, and replied, “Yea, me neither.” The birds tweeted again and Bucky winced, but before Steve could ask what was wrong, Bucky wavered, one arm flailing as he slipped down the last two stairs.

Steve hurriedly reached out to catch Bucky, a pleasing warmth entering his chest as he caught Bucky in his arms, held him tightly to his chest. Bucky huffed, muttering, “You’d think years after losing an arm I’d have better balance than this.” Steve would have been horrified, but he’d learned that Bucky liked to make light of his injury, and was okay with jokes about it.

Steve laughed softly, setting Bucky upright, but not moving too far away. “It happens to the best of us.” He left his hands where they were, resting gently around Bucky’s waist, hoping to all the gods that he wasn’t pushing his luck.

Looking up at him in sarcastic disbelief, Bucky asked, “Even you? What, hiding some secret weaknesses from the rest of us?” He didn’t move away from Steve, though, staying mere inches from him, making Steve giddy with the proximity.

It took a moment for Steve to gather his thoughts, before he shook his head with a crooked grin. “Nah, as far as I know I’m as healthy as can be.”

Bucky hummed, a strange grin on his face as he looked up at Steve. “What, no weak knee or soft spots?” His hand lightly touched Steve’s arm, causing goosebumps to erupt on the blond’s flesh.

“Uh… n-nope. Nothing so far,” Steve replied, eyes straining in the dim light to capture all the hues of Bucky’s grayish-blue ones. 

Bucky studied his face for a moment more, before giving a short hum, and stepping away. “Guess you really are perfect, golden boy.” Bucky wandered over to the small pond in the middle, looking down into the still waters.

Steve took his first deep breath of the last few moments, head clearing but a disappointed feeling filling his chest. Walking after Bucky, but now keeping his distance if that was what the other man wanted, Steve sighed. “When I was younger, I had all this strength, but nothing to do with it. I caused a lot of trouble, even hurt some people. I would’ve given anything to be normal, to be some other way.” The admission made him flush, glad that Bucky’s back was turned to him.

Voice oddly hollow, Bucky replied, “Being ‘normal’ isn’t all that great, either. People are always problematic, either creating problems or worsening pre-existing ones.” His arm was wrapped around his torso, as if to ward off a chill.

Frowning, Steve thought of his adoptive parents, of Sam, of  _ Bucky _ . “Not everyone is like that.” Sure, there was a fair share of bastards in the world, but Steve liked to believe in the good in people, 

With a dismissive sound, Bucky retorted, “Enough are.” 

Steve didn’t answer right away, watching the way Bucky seemed to withdraw and close off, almost shielding himself away from Steve. It was the quietest and coldest Steve had ever seen the man, and it worried him. Stepping closer again, hesitantly reaching out the grasp Bucky’s arm, he sat on the edge of the fountain, pulling Bucky down beside him. Bucky eyed him curiously, face mostly blank but for a tiredness in his eyes. 

“Well, you aren’t, and that’s what matters to me.” The small grin Bucky gave Steve was almost heartbreaking in its disbelief and happiness, and Steve shifted his grip to hold Bucky’s hand again. “When I’m with you, I feel normal, I feel happy and free.” Steve scooted closer, heart pounding, terrified to make the move.

Bucky frowned again, the light in his eyes dimming as he turned his head away. “You shouldn't. I’m not a good person.” His shoulders sagged, bearing the weight of some hidden sadness, some troubled past, and Steve ached to find out what it was and shoulder it himself.

Huffing a small laugh as he reached out to gently turn Bucky’s face back towards him, Steve bit his lip. “Shouldn’t I be the judge of that? I think you’re amazing,” Steve murmured, leaning in closer again. Bucky’s eyes went wide, and then Steve closed his, leaning that final bit in. Their lips brushed together, gently and tentative, Bucky’s felt like pillows against his own--

“Alright, that’s enough you two. Can’t believe this, running away in the middle of the damn day like some teenager.” Sam’s angry voice broke the moment between them, Bucky sitting back with a gasp, Steve slower to react, lost in the feeling of finally kissing Bucky, no matter how brief.

Sam jumped off of where he had been astride Pegasus, marching over to where they sat. “Really, Steve? You have to do that to me?” He paused, arms crossing as he turned his glare on Bucky. “Not surprised that  _ you’re  _ involved.”

Bucky scowled, already standing up and backing away. “Yea, yea, I get it, I’m a bad influence. It was my idea,” he admitted, trying to keep Steve out of trouble. Pegasus whinnied loudly, mockingly, and Bucky glared at the horse, too. 

“I’m sure,” Sam scoffed. He turned back to Steve, poking the still-smiling blond in the chest. “Off to the stadium, do some training to make up for all the work you missed today.” With that the furious satyr stalked back to Pegasus, muttering under his breath the whole way.

Sighing, Bucky said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to get you in trouble with your babysitter.”

Steve chuckled, waving a hand in the hair. “It was worth it. I should be thanking you- this was the most fun I’ve had in years.” He could have sworn he saw a light flush on Bucky’s cheeks before the brunet ducked his head. Glancing around, Steve spotted a crocus plant nearby, and hurriedly plucked one of the blooms. Holding it out to Bucky, he murmured, “Until next time,” pressing a kiss to Bucky’s cheek in a move so smooth that Steve was even surprised at himself. 

Bucky’s mouth dropped open, but his eyes shone, and he gave Steve a smile that was almost shy as the blonde jogged back to Pegasus, swinging onto the horse and taking off into the night sky. Bucky waved long after Steve was out of sight, and Steve couldn’t contain his smile the short flight to the training arena. 

* * *

Bucky couldn’t believe it. This had been easily the best night of his life, not that there had been much competition, and he felt like he could walk on Mount Olympus right now. Steve was the kind of man Bucky used to believe only existed in epics- chivalrous and sweet, with strong morals, a sense of humor, and an unbelievable physique. Bucky laid back on the bench, still holding the flower, a small smile on his face as he recounted the events of the night. It was more than Bucky deserved, especially considering who he was, but Bucky could be selfish once in a while. 

  
His quiet musings were interrupted by a pointed cough from behind him. Bucky sat up quickly, heart hammering as he saw Hades lingering by the fountain. The god was evidently waiting for news from Bucky, arms crossed before him. Bucky swallowed, terrified at the choice before him.

  
“So, the mortal, what is his weakness?” Hades asked.

  
Bucky’s harsh breathing was the only sound in the garden, all of the bugs and beasts having fallen silent at Hades’ presence. His mind raced around itself, trying to decide what to do. Steve was brilliant and gorgeous, and far too good for what Bucky could do to him. Bucky didn’t deserve to have Steve, nor would he be able to keep him, but that didn’t mean Bucky couldn’t help him. He knew what had to be done, but the fear was almost paralyzing. Never before had Bucky had to put someone else before himself, and though he was afraid of what might be done to him, the sense of righteousness told him he had to do it. 

  
Drawing himself up, Bucky declared, “No. I’m done. Find someone else to do your dirty work.”

  
Hades’ eyes glinted, his head tilting to one side. “What did you say to me?” His tone was curious, as if an olive had just spoken to him, but it sent chills down Bucky’s spine. 

  
“I said,” Bucky wavered, “that I’m done. I won’t do this to him.” He turned to walk away, knowing that nothing good could await him. Maybe a quick death was the best to hope for….

  
Bucky felt movement behind him, the rustle of robes. “Buchanan…” came Hades’ soft voice. “You must be less intelligent than I thought. Do you forget that I still own you _and_ your soul?” The god reached out, shadows wrapping around Bucky so tight that he could barely breathe, lifting him up off the ground, legs kicking uselessly. Hades stared at him, cold amusement evident on his face. “You have no choice. You work for me, and me alone.” Bucky struggled futilely in the shadows’ hold as Hades leaned in closer. “If I say that I want Stephanos dead, then he will end up dead, and you will be the one to make it so.”

  
Lightheaded from the lack of air, feeling the heat of the god’s angry flames licking across the grass just below him and unable to think through his animal fear, Bucky nodded desperately. Hades released him, allowing him to fall to the ground, gasping. He should have known that it would be impossible to stand up to the God of Death, and he felt as if he could cry at his own weakness. 

  
Hades drifted away from where Bucky was still sprawled on the ground, the shadows retreating to curl around his legs once more. “Now, we need a new plan-”

  
“I can’t. I can’t help you hurt him,” Bucky cried, shaking; he could feel Hades’ anger like a physical force around him.

  
Snorting delicately, Hades stepped back towards Bucky. “Then your freedom is forfeit.” Bucky looked down, gripping the grass in an attempt to ground himself. “Is it really worth it? Your whole life, for one mortal?” the god prompted, shadows brushing against Bucky like ethereal, chilling dogs.

  
Shaking his head, telling himself that this was the right thing to do, for once, Bucky responded, “This one is. He’s kind, and honest, and he treats me like I’m worth something.” He was well on his way to falling in love with Steve, Bucky realized. It was such a rare feeling, one that simultaneously scared him to death and made him feel as weightless as a cloud. When Hades remained silent, Bucky forged ahead, voice growing stronger. “Besides, you can’t beat him, not even if you tried. He has no weaknesses, no soft spots.”

  
There was a heavy pause, and then Hades chuckled. The sound was so foreign, and so unexpected, that Bucky jumped up and took a step back. “Oh,” the god said, a finger coming to lift Bucky’s chin, “I think that he does, Buchanan.”

  
Bucky’s entire body felt numb, and he could hear his heartbeat, feel it in his throat. Hades gave him a slow smile and a soft pat on the cheek, and Bucky could never remember feeling more horrified in his life.  


Sam had returned shortly after to the courtyard, wanting to be away from Steve, who who was still disgustingly happy. He had hidden behind the wall of hedges when he had first heard Bucky talking, and now fury and disgust radiated off of him. “I knew he was no good,” he whispered fiercely, running away as quietly as he could, a cold regret settling in his chest. This was going to break Steve’s heart.

* * *

Meanwhile, Steve was over the moon. He was running laps around the training field, filled with an excited, nervous energy that he just had to burn off. Picking up his weights and tossing them as if they weren’t 200 kilos each, swinging up and down and around the gymnasium bars erected for him, leaping and climbing up the walls with grace- Steve felt like he was floating, unable to touch the ground.

The day had been  _ perfect _ , and Bucky had been  _ perfect _ , and Steve was the happiest he had been in a long, long time. He couldn’t wait to see Bucky again, was already planning on things he might say or what they could do. Steve didn’t notice when Sam trudged into the training stadium, only taking notice after the satyr had called his name multiple times.

Leaping off of the beam he had been standing on, Steve landed sharply in front of Sam, giving the satyr a back-slapping hug. “Sam, I’m sorry for leaving you today, but this was one of the best days of my life! I already can’t wait to see him again.” He knew Sam disapproved, but surely if Sam saw how truly happy Bucky made Steve…. 

Sam sighed, melancholic and heavy. “Steve, that’s what I have to talk to you about,” he said, shaking his head slightly.

Steve frowned, immediately defensive. “Look, I don’t care that you don’t like him-”

“That’s not it, look-” Sam interrupted him. 

“-you can’t just judge people on first impressions-” Steve rolled on.

“-just shut up, I have something important to tell you-” Sam growled, voice louder.

Neither of them noticed Pegasus, who had been munching on some feed at the edge of the stadium. The appearance of a beautiful, red roan mare had Pegasus perking up, tail twitching. Pegasus followed the lovely horse into an old storage chamber behind the stadium, ears forward and eyes bright, Once in the storage chamber, the beautiful female horse swiftly changed into her true form- Pain and Panic smirking at the dumbfounded horse. Before Pegasus could even scream in fear, the two demons had him trussed up and trapped, shutting the storage room door. 

Outside, Steve and Sam were still arguing, Steve refusing to listen to anything bad that Sam had to say about Bucky, Sam trying to get Steve to calm down and realize it wasn’t just about  _ Bucky _ , it was who the man really was. Every time Sam started a sentence, Steve shut him down, or changed the direction of the sentence, anything to try and convince Sam of the good in Bucky.

Finally, Sam shouted, “He’s  _ lying to you _ !” Steve jolted, looking at Sam in surprise and confusion. “He’s been playing you this whole time. He doesn’t actually want you.” The words hurt Sam to say, knowing how much pain they could cause Steve.

After a moment, Steve crossed his arms, clenched his jaw. “What proof do you have?” It was obvious that Bucky hadn’t been entirely truthful with Steve- Steve knew almost nothing about the man’s past- but Steve didn’t believe that Bucky was in it to hurt Steve. It seemed awfully far-fetched, and he wasn’t going to just take someone’s word for it, even Sam’s.

Sam’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

“I asked you what proof you have,” Steve repeated, squaring his shoulders. “For all I know, you could be trying to get me away from him, just so I keep following your plans.” Steve didn’t truly believe that, knew that Sam was a better person that that, but he was  _ angry _ , and wanted Sam to feel the same prickle of betrayal that Steve did.

Taking a surprised step back, Sam scoffed, shaking his head. “If you really think that low of me… then I don’t know what to tell you.” Turning away, Sam started walking towards the exit. “Fine. Don’t listen to me, I hope it all works out for you. See you tomorrow, Steve.” The vitriol with which Sam said his name made Steve wince, but he held his ground, only slumping when the satyr was out of sight. 

He didn’t want to fight with Sam, hated that he’d hurt his friend. But Sam had some… vendetta against Bucky, and Steve wouldn’t let that stand. Stalking away, he grabbed some of his weights and began angrily lifting them, stewing in his own thoughts. 

Suddenly, all of the torches in the stadium were extinguished, leaving the arena dark and cold. Steve dropped the weights, looking around in confusion- he had thought he was the only one here.

“Well, that was an interesting display,” a smooth voice rang through the night. Steve startled, whipping around towards the source. Lounging against the stone wall like he had always been there was a… Steve would call him a  _ man _ , but the unearthly shadows licking around his face and the powerful, terrifying aura emanating from him made the word seem inadequate. 

“Who are you?” Steve called out, bracing for a fight.

The other walked forward, almost seeming to float on the ground. “I am Hades, God of the Underworld,” he intoned, and Steve felt a shiver go through his bones. This wasn’t a man, this was a god, the God of the Dead, and he was  _ here _ , staring so casually- so coldly- right at Steve. 

Taking a subconscious step backwards, Steve asked, “Why are you here?”

Waving a hand casually, Hades, said softly, “I have been in the process of a large, complicated plan for some centuries now, and you, boy, seem to be in my way at every turn.” Though his voice was quiet, it rang with a hidden sharpness, like a sheathed sword.

Steve shook his head, protesting, “I don’t even know what your plan is, how could I be stopping it?” Steve didn’t even want to think about having to try and fight a god- there was no way he would come out of that alive,  _ especially _ against Hades. Besides… he was a god, his plan couldn’t be that terrible, could it?

Suddenly, as quick as it took Steve to blink, Hades was directly before him, dark eyes boring into his. “Listen here, and listen well. I am here to make a deal- I simply need you to stay  _ away _ from my plans tomorrow, and refrain from interfering with anything that may happen.”

Swallowing, Steve took a moment to gather all of the courage in his body, meeting the eyes of the God of Death. “If people are going to get hurt… then I’m sorry, but I can’t.” It was the unavoidable truth- Steve couldn’t let innocent people be harmed, even by a plan of the gods.

A slow, sharp grin lifted Hades’ lips, causing Steve to shiver again. “I thought you might say that,” he said, lifting a hand, “so I brought some leverage.” The god snapped his fingers, and Bucky appeared in the center of the stadium. The brunet barely had time to cry out Steve’s name before shadows wrapped tightly around him, covering his mouth and bringing him to his knees. 

“Bucky!” Steve said, running towards the other man. Hades snapped again, and Bucky disappeared, only to reappear right next to the god. Steve clenched his fists, turning towards Hades, anger boiling. “Let him go!” he shouted, heedless of who he was yelling at.

Tsking, Hades shook his head. “Sadly, I cannot. Unless…” he paused, raising an eyebrow, “you give up your strength for 24 hours, no more, no less. Then, your precious…  _ Bucky _ will be free.” 

Bucky frantically shook his head, eyes wide above the shadows covering the bottom half of his face. Steve felt like he couldn’t breathe, torn between the fearful look on Bucky’s face and the possibility that many, many people could get hurt tomorrow. “What’s going to happen if I agree?” he asked, never taking his eyes off Bucky.

Shrugging, Hades let a finger trail down Bucky’s cheek, the brunet wincing as he did. “I don’t have the  _ time _ to discuss this all with you, Stephanos. You must pick- your strength, or Bucky?” Steve swallowed, terror filling his chest- how was he supposed to pick? The possible lives of hundreds in the city, or the man who he had somehow come to love more than anyone else.

Something darkened in Hade’s face at the hesitation, and he snapped his fingers again, flames now licking the ground directly around Bucky. “My offer only stands for so long, Stephanos. Going once… going twice…” His voice was hard as steel, and Steve knew the god was completely serious.

Growing more panicked with every sentence, not knowing what to do and feeling heartsick with it, Steve couldn’t help his instinctual answer as he blurted out, “Okay!” Hades gave him a sly grin, and Bucky was shouting at him behind his gag, and Steve felt both relief and gnawing, terrible guilt. “Okay... I’ll do it,” Steve continued. “But you promise that Bucky won’t be harmed?” he insisted.

Looking like he wanted to roll his eyes, Hades responded acidly, “Yes, yes, he will remain safe, or the deal is null, and you will get your strength back. Now….” he held out his hand pointedly, waiting for Steve to shake on it. Finally tearing his eyes away from Bucky’s tearful face, Steve steeled himself, before grasping the god’s hand.


	6. A Star is Born

**Cha** **pter 5**

 

As soon as Steve touched Hades’ hand, he felt a burning, sickening sensation swoop through his entire body. It felt as if every muscle were being torn in two, every inch of his skin prickling painfully with the cold sensation leeching into his skin. He couldn’t help but give a pained cry, falling to his knees on the ground as his limbs shook and quivered. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, his muscles screamed to even hold up his own body weight; he had never felt this weak in his life. 

 

Hades released his hand, taking a step back with a soft, chilling laugh. “There, now you’re just like  _ everyone else _ , and isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” the god taunted, a sharp grin on his face, luxuriating in the certainty of success. 

 

Barely comprehending, Steve shook his head, stifling a groan at the nauseous, aching feeling that thrummed throughout his body. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was back to how he looked before all of Sam’s training, if not worse- shorter, skinny, barely a muscle to be seen. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to throw up or sob, knowing immediately what a mistake he had made.  _ But Bucky…  _ He looked up, trying to find the brunet, see if he was safe.

 

“Oh, and one more thing….” Hades said, a finger to his chin as if he’d just remembered. “Buchanan- you’re free to go, as we agreed.” With a snap of his fingers, the smoky tendrils that caged Bucky disappeared, and the man landed heavily on the ground. Bucky froze in place, eyes wide, shaking his head continuously, subconsciously. 

 

Looking back up, Steve furrowed his brow at the exchange. “W-what? Agreed upon- what does  _ that  _ mean?” His voice was weak, gasping, feeling like his lungs were hardly working. It seemed like his mind was sluggish, taking far too long to put the pieces in front of him together. Bucky flinched at Steve’s gaze, brutally biting his lip, eyes shiny. 

 

Hades let out another discordant chuckle, sweeping forwards to caress Bucky’s arm. The man cringed away, eyes flitting between the god and Steve, looking frightened and… guilty? “Don’t you see? He’s been working for me the entire time,” Hades murmured, and Bucky trembled, now avoiding Steve’s gaze completely. “Buchanan here has played his part wonderfully- wouldn’t you agree?”

 

Cringing away from the god’s touch, Bucky closed his eyes, whispering, “No, please-”

 

Mouth hanging open, Steve struggled to his feet, legs trembling as he pointed a finger at the god. “How do I know you’re not lying to me-  _ again _ ?” he demanded. He tried to ignore the horrible, sinking feeling in his gut, the one that told him with a crushing certainty that this was the truth. Pegasus’s instant dislike of Bucky, Sam’s accusations, Bucky’s shifty nature- it all coalesced into a sickening picture. A picture that Steve had been too blind to see. 

 

Suddenly, the two young girls from the cliffside-  _ Bucky’s sisters _ \- were in the stadium with them. They pranced in a circle around Steve, movements jerky and wrong, childish laughter ringing out oddly and grating against Steve’s ears, before their forms started to mutate horribly. They shrunk and stretched and folding in on themselves grotesquely, before two demons were standing in front of Steve, smiling wickedly. Steve couldn’t hold back a gasp, looking back up at Bucky for an explanation. 

 

Bucky hung his head, still refusing to meet Steve’s eyes. “I- I couldn’t… it’s… I… I’m sorry, I’m so damn sorry,” he whispered, hand wringing the edge of his chiton. Steve simply gaped at him, unable to comprehend all that had happened in the last ten minutes. Bucky, who he would have- foolishly- trusted with his life a mere hour ago, now looked like a complete stranger to Steve.

 

Giving a pointed cough, Hades strode away, towards what appeared to be a jet black chariot, drawn by an even darker horse. “You have my gratitude, Buchanan. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some old friends to see to.” In the blink of an eye the god was gone, and the braziers relit in the stadium. Steve’s knees buckled again, and he sank to the ground, horror filling him at what he had just done. And for  _ what _ ?

 

Hesitantly, Bucky took a step towards the blond. “Steve-”

 

“Save it,” Steve interrupted, voice harsh but wavering. He felt…  _ tired _ , overwhelmingly exhausted, physically and emotionally. Not only had Steve had all of his strength sapped from him, leaving him as weak as a foal, but he had done so only to ensure whatever destruction Hades had planned… all for a man who didn’t really love him.

 

Bucky swallowed hard, a few tears escaping his eyes as he wrapped his arm around himself. “I... it wasn’t all an act, I swear it. I-I had to do it, because-”

 

Forcing himself to stand upright once more, Steve narrowed his eyes, anger steeling his voice. “I said  _ save it _ . I don’t want to hear your excuses. It doesn’t matter  _ why _ ; you used me.” He ignored the way his voice cracked on the last words, turned his head to avoid looking at Bucky at all. Steve had thought… well, he had thought Bucky was special, could be the one. But to learn Bucky was working for the enemy the whole time, probably had never even cared about Steve in the first place… it hurt more than Steve could admit. He turned to leave the arena, refusing to look back. 

 

As Steve exited, a sudden rumbling in the earth made him almost lose his footing. Squinting in the early dawn light, he could see a massive, hulking form, easily almost four meters tall, crashing through the city. “STEPHANOS!” the creature bellowed as it kicked over a building. “Come and face me!” As the enormous figure drew closer, Steve could see that it was a cyclops, bright green and bulging with muscle, destroying all that stood in its path. It was a terrifying sight, a monster out of legends that was surely Hades’ doing, and Steve’s fault.

 

Slowly inhaling, Steve nodded once to himself, before stepping out of the gate and towards the monster. As he walked slowly through the streets, he heard snippets of cheers, cityfolk crying out that  _ Steve was here, he would save us _ ! Steve could have scoffed at their words- if only they knew what he had done. Steve knew he stood no chance- this would have been a hard fight even with his strength. But if he could distract the creature long enough for the people to escape, provide even a small refuge from the damage and destruction… then he had to try. 

 

* * *

 

Bucky slowly trailed after Steve, guilt and despair wracking him. What else could he have expected- for Steve to simply  _ forgive _ his betrayal and run off into the sunset with Bucky? It was laughable. Bucky had dug this own hole himself, and he deserved nothing better, he knew that. He had served evil for years now, and in doing so had given up any right to kindness or love. But it still hurt, immeasurably so, to see the one man he truly cared about look at him with such hate- no, with such indifference _. _

 

Bucky wanted to explain to Steve why he had done what he had, how he hadn’t really had a choice in the matter, how hard Bucky had tried to refuse. He wanted to confess to Steve how much Bucky felt for him, how this was the first time Bucky could remember feeling this way, and tell Steve just how much he meant to Bucky. But he knew that Steve wouldn’t accept those words; a soul as good as Steve’s was unable to understand what he saw as naked betrayal. So Bucky hung back in the shadows, where he belonged.

 

But as he saw Steve walking  _ towards _ the monstrous titan, jaw clenched and shoulders squared, Bucky couldn’t help himself.  “What are you doing?” he cried, running to stand in front of Steve. Steve didn’t respond, simply glaring at him. Desperate, fearing for Steve’s life, Bucky protested, “That thing will kill you in seconds!” Even if Steve didn’t care for him anymore, Bucky would be damned (again) before letting the man willingly walk into death.

 

Pushing past the brunet, Steve responded coldly, “And why would that matter to  _ you _ ?” He strode off, determination in the set of his shoulders, leaving Bucky gaping, open-mouthed on the steps, tears prickling at his eyes again. He watched as Steve walked directly towards the cyclops, who laughed scornfully at the limping, tired man before him. With one swipe of its massive hand, the cyclops sent Steve flying across the road, directly into the side of a building.

 

Unable to stand back and watch as Steve once more fought for his life, Bucky ran back into the stadium, looking for something-  _ anything-  _ he could use to help. He wasn’t sure what use a one-armed, ex-soldier could be, but he couldn’t just leave Steve to die. A sudden racket from one of the supply closets made Bucky startle, and he frowned before hesitantly opening the door, hiding behind it as he did so- he had no idea what to expect anymore.

 

His eyes widened as he saw Pegasus, tried up cruelly with rough ropes and trapped in the small chamber. Swallowing his instinctual nervousness of the horse, Bucky slowly approached the animal, palm out. “Woah, woah, it’s okay,” he murmured, reaching down to pull at one of the rope anchors. “I’m here to set you free. Steve is in trouble, and I need your help to find Sam.” Bucky felt like an idiot talking to the horse like it was a human, but he was plain terrified, and didn’t know what else to do.

 

Plus, the horse had seemed smart enough when it had purposely flown faster to scare Bucky.

 

Luckily, it seemed the horse did understand him. Pegasus snorted and tossed his head, settling down enough for Bucky to tug away the rest of the ropes. Then, cringing and sending a quick prayer to whoever was still listening to him, he climbed onto Pegasus, wrapping his arm around the horse’s neck. Bucky couldn’t contain his frightened yell as the horse violently took off, and he squeezed his eyes shut, only the thought of saving Steve keeping him from throwing up.

 

***

 

Olympus was under attack. The titans had been released from their imprisonment by Hades, and they now scaled the godly mountain, destroying everything in their path. Wind, earth, fire, ice; the creatures attacked with all of their might. The gods fought hard, and fought well, but in the end even they were overcome. Ares and Athena swallowed into the whirling winds, Apollo and Artemis frozen where they stood, Hephaestus and Aphrodite trapped under a landslide of rocks, and Zeus himself trapped by frozen magma, out of thunderbolts and unable to move.

 

Hades flew above in his dark chariot, grim satisfaction seeping off of him, smiling down at the destruction he had caused.

 

Zeus gaped as he saw his brother above. “Hades- this was you?” he asked, shock coloring tone.

 

“Yes,  _ dear _ brother, I have come for what should have been mine long ago- Mount Olympus,” Hades declared, a cold smile on his face. 

 

For the first time in a long while, fear entered the King of the Gods, and Zeus wondered if this was really to be the end of Olympus as they knew it.

 

* * *

 

Bucky and Pegasus caught up to Sam right as he was about to board the ship. Bucky, who was a bit more comfortable on Pegasus’s back now that the horse had stopped purposely trying to throw him off, called out his name as Pegasus landed beside the satyr. Bucky jumped clumsily off the horse, running towards Sam.

 

Sam took one look at Bucky before scoffing, turning his back on the pair. Bucky winced, though he wasn’t surprised.

 

Frustration and desperation ringing in his voice, Bucky cried, “Sam, please, I know you have no reason to trust me, but Steve needs your help!” Bucky couldn’t care less if Sam hated him until the end of days, but he would drag that satyr up onto this horse even with only one arm if he had to. 

 

That gave Sam pause, but he didn’t turn around. “Yea, well, he doesn’t much seem to want my advice anymore,” he retorted.  It wasn’t a refusal, but Bucky could see that Sam was angry, and hurt. It was another knife in his chest, to see how much strife he had caused between the two friends. Gods, could Bucky do anything to fix this mess?

 

Twisting his lips, Bucky replied, “I know, and I know that this is all my fault. But if you don’t come with me, Steve  _ will _ die.” Sam was the only one who could potentially talk sense into the blond, and make him see the folly in his ways.

 

Sam turned around with wide eyes, meeting Bucky’s pleading ones, and there was an endless moment before Sam nodded, hurrying over to Pegasus. A spark of hope lit in Bucky’s chest as he followed quickly. As soon as the the pair climbed on the horse took off, back to the city where Steve was still fighting for his life.

 

* * *

 

As Steve took another hit, flying across the courtyard to bounce across the stones, he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. He was battered and bruised, in more pain than he could ever remember, and he couldn’t do a thing to fight back. The large green cyclops simply laughed at him whenever Steve tried to throw a punch or dodge a hit, and would strike Steve anyway, sending him back to the ground. But he always got up, driven by something inside him that screamed at him to just  _ keep going _ .

 

He was so out of it that he didn’t even notice the newcomers at first, not until Sam was worriedly shaking his shoulder, Pegasus’s warm breath blowing over his head. “I have ‘im on the ropes…” Steve muttered, blinking blearily at Sam. He was happy to see his friend, and felt terrible for the way they had ended things before. 

 

Sam huffed a laugh, pushing gently on Steve’s shoulder. “Sure you did. Come on, why are you doing this? You can’t win against this guy…” Sam said in a no-nonsense tone.

 

Steve’s eyes flicked towards where Bucky stood a good distance away, with his arm wrapped around himself nervously. “What else  _ can  _ I do?” Steve asked. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He was still smarting from the sting of betrayal, even under all the rest of his injuries, and he was vindictively satisfied when Bucky winced at his words. He resolutely ignored the small part of him that ached along with Bucky’s pain.

 

A frustrated growl left Sam as he lightly thumped the blond on the arm. “Steve, be smart about this! We need to go hide, maybe figure out another way to beat this thing,” he pleaded.

 

Maybe Sam was right, perhaps a plan was necessary; outwitting the cyclops would be much easier than overpowering it. Before Steve could respond, the cyclops reached down and plucked him from the ground, holding him like a toy in one hand. “Eat you now!” it roared, lifting Steve up to its mouth. 

 

Panic shot through Steve, and he shoved uselessly at the large green hand around him. Steve searched for anything he could find to fight with, his shield probably still in the training arena. Regardless of what he’d told Sam, he didn’t want to go like  _ this _ , some snack for an overgrown monster. As he looked around wildly, he noticed a possible weapon. Steve grabbed the piece of sharp wooden beam from one of the destroyed houses, brandishing it like a sword. As soon as the cyclops lifted Steve up close enough to its face, Steve thrust out with it, stabbing the monster directly in the eye.

 

Howling, the cyclops dropped Steve, the blond falling to the ground like a sack of flour. Moaning, Steve slowly got up, using the cyclop’s temporary painful distraction to look for something else he could use. Perhaps the arrival of his friends had reminded him what he was fighting for, but he was suddenly much more determined to stay alive, rather than be used as a punching bag for a beast. 

 

Spotting a long coil of rope outside of what used to be a shop, Steve grabbed it, limping as quickly as he could back to the cyclops. Haphazardly running around the monster’s ankles, he twisted and turned and wrapped the rope around its legs, before giving the end of the rope a strong yank. The cyclops shouted again, falling to the ground with a shuddering  _ boom _ , head cracking the paved street, out cold.

 

Steve sank to his knees, breathing heavily, a small, relieved grin on his face. He was in pain and exhausted, but the defeat of the monster had him filling with hope again. He didn’t see the column behind him crack and start to fall, nor did he see Bucky sprinting towards him. Steve only heard a call of his name, and then he was being shoved to the side, and there was another massive  _ thud  _ as the stone column fell to the ground, exactly where Steve had been sitting.

 

A pained moan reached his ears as Steve shakily stood up, and he swore he felt his heart stop beating. “Bucky!” he yelled, his anger at the man taking a back seat in his sheer panic. Scrambling to the column, hoping against hope, he blanched as he saw what had happened. “Oh, Bucky, no….” he whispered. Bucky was pinned under the large marble piece, coughing and groaning weakly, blood flecking his lips. 

 

No matter how angry at the man he was, he didn’t want Bucky dead, never could. Steve found himself regretting the harsh things he’d said, the knowledge of Bucky’s betrayal warring with his heart that still cared for Bucky. Terror and grief tangling like thorny weeds in his chest, Steve desperately tried to lift the column off of him. It seemed useless, Steve’s broken and tired body not even making the heavy stone budge, and he exhaled sharply, almost a sob. Gods, how had everything gone so wrong, so quickly?

 

And then suddenly… the column began to move. Steve felt vigour returning to his limbs, could practically feel his muscles knitting back together and swelling with strength. Energy he hadn’t even known he possessed flooded back into him, and Steve gave a breathless, slightly-hysterical laugh as the column became laughable easy to simply toss aside, like a twig. Steve stared at his hands in wonder, his skin no longer sallow but golden-brown. He stretched and swung his limbs, feeling as if he could almost cry with relief at being back to normal. 

 

Pegasus and Sam stood by, jaws dropped and eyes wide. “What in the gods’ names….” Sam muttered. 

 

Drawing a shuddering breath, Bucky choked out, “Hades… promised I w-wouldn’t be harmed… the deal is br-” He dropped off into a groan as he coughed up more blood.

 

Steve dropped to his knees next to Bucky, a hand coming up to gently push hair off of Bucky’s forehead. Bucky gave him a weak smile, somehow still beautiful even with blood-stained lips. “Bucky, why… why did you do that? You shouldn’t have….” Steve trailed off, feeling tears prick at his eyes. Bucky had  _ sacrificed _ himself for Steve, even after what Steve had said to him, even after what Bucky had done. Steve swallowed thickly, letting his hand cup Bucky’s cheek.

 

Steve knew Bucky must not have long left, with how strained and rattling his breath was, how every movement seemed to cause him pain. Steve felt his heart tear in two, wishing that so many things had been different for them.

 

“Well,” Bucky whispered, “what can I say, guess I… I’m as dumb as y-you when…. I’m in love.”

 

The breath punched out of Steve’s lungs, the lump in his throat growing in size. “Bucky… I… you….” He felt tied up in knots, his heart simultaneously swelling with happiness and withering in grief; to have this happiness in such a horrid situation was the worst form of torture. He leaned down and kissed Bucky’s forehead, not knowing how to express the immense emotion he was feeling inside. 

 

A small grin tugging at his lips, Bucky lifted his shaky hand to Steve’s cheek. “I know, Stevie,” he said softly. He coughed painfully again, a pained whine escaping his lips. “You n-need to go, you’re the only… one who can stop Hades.” Steve shook his head, eyes watering; he didn’t want to leave Bucky like this, slowly dying alone amongst the rubble.

 

Sam came up behind Bucky, kneeling by the brunet’s head. “I’ll stay with him,” he said quietly, his brown eyes wide and sad. Bucky looked up, shock evident on his face, and Sam rolled his eyes at the man, putting a finger to his lips.

 

Steve simply nodded, too choked up to properly express his thanks. Leaving one last kiss on Bucky’s cheek, he stood up, taking a deep breath before swinging up onto Pegasus. First he had to retrieve his shield, eager to send it flying once more. Cold fury was now filling him alongside his grief, and as they flew directly towards Mount Olympus, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Hades’ face. 

 

The god in question was resting comfortably on an obsidian throne in Olympus, watching with glee as the gods were bound and chained, Zeus himself unable to escape the grip of the Titans’ elements. Steve steered Pegasus straight into the courtyard, and he could hear the gods’ startled gasps and whispers. He could see the moment Hades saw him, would forever treasure the absolute shock and rage that crossed that normally ice-cold visage.

 

“Hades!” Steve cried, “come and face me!” As Pegasus swooped towards the God of the Dead, Steve tossed his shield, cleaving through the chains binding the gods. They cheered and rushed to grab their weapons, but Steve only had eyes for one.

 

Fire licking along every limb and surrounding his feet, shadows twisting and boiling like some dark tornado, Hades yelled, “Titans, to me!” 

 

Steve twisted to watch as the four monstrous beings left, towers of fire or earth or ice that moved and bellowed, started towards him. Flame shot out at him, stakes of ice flew past him, enormous chunks of rock were tossed. Pegasus flew frantically, dodging left and right with all of his skill, and Steve deflected what he could, brandishing his shield like a lifeline. Hades shouted orders from where he stood, flames roaring higher about him, shadows a darkness that surrounded him with an increasing radius the farther Steve made it. 

 

Through the worst of the first attack, Steve leapt off of Pegasus’s back, landing on the small mountain of rock that was encasing Zeus. With a sharp strike of his shield, Steve cracked the stubborn stone, and Zeus burst free with a flash of lightning. “Steve, my boy!” he cried out, a large smile on his face despite the circumstances. “You’ve done well, son, but now I think it’s my turn,” Zeus continued, turning a thunderous glare on his brother. Hades blanched, taking a step back.

 

More lightning bolts had been thrown to Zeus, and he took hold of multiple, throwing them with all his might at the Titans. They struck their targets true, shattering stone and melting ice, sputtering out flame and ceasing wind. Bolt after bolt struck the Titans, helpless under the wrath of the King of the Gods. Steve watched in terrified awe, Hades in horror, as the Titans were driven back, decimated and broken. 

 

Steve joined in the fray, throwing powerful punches left and right, sending the beasts flying, shrieking as they did. Reaching out and grabbing the end of the wind Titan, Steve strained with all his might, dragging the Titan towards him, using the suction of the cyclone within to draw in the other Titans. With agonized screams and wails the Titans were pulled back into the maw of their brother, weakened from the onslaught of Zeus’s thunderbolts.

 

Heaving, putting all of his strength he had ever used into the movement, Steve drew back, spinning once before letting the Titans fly, just like his shield. They wailed as they flew clear out of Olympus, landing far amongst the stars, never to be seen again. Zeus and the gods cheered, and Steve beamed as he huffed for breath, muscles aching but pride filling his chest.

 

The celebration was cut short, as Hades sneered at them from his chariot. “Well done,  _ boy _ . However, a certain someone is joining me in the Underworld, and I’d hate to see him arrive without a proper welcome,” he hissed, speeding away across the sky. 

 

“Bucky,” Steve whispered brokenly.

 

* * *

 

Down on earth, Bucky was indeed not long for this world. His gasping breaths had been coming farther and farther apart, the time his eyes spent open between blinks becoming shorter and shorter. Sam had at one point taken Bucky’s hand, unwilling to let even someone he had come to dislike as much as he had Bucky to die feeling alone. Sam bowed his head, murmuring a comfort or two, unable to help feeling a bit sorry for the lot Bucky had drawn in life. He wasn’t sure if Bucky knew what was going on, but the weak squeeze to Sam’s hand told him that maybe Bucky did. 

 

With one last shuddering breath, Bucky fell still, his hand going limp in Sam’s, the lines in his face smoothing away. The Fates had cut his string, and his time on Earth was ended.

 

Unseen by Sam and other mortal beings, Bucky’s soul lifted from his body, sinking through the Earth to go to the Underworld. There he would be judged, and- due to his service of the God of the Dead- would be found lacking, to be thrown into Tartarus for his sins. 

 

His punishment was simple- constantly falling, most of his memories gone, the bad deeds he had done relayed in a constant loop, always and forever, taunting him with the horrors of his past, the terror of uncertainty, the pain of losing one that he loved.

 

* * *

 

 

Pegasus landed so quickly that he stumbled, and Steve almost fell as he dismounted. As he ran over to where Bucky lay, he knew that he was already too late. “No…” Steve said brokenly, sinking to his knees next to Bucky. Sam stood back and shook his head, eyes shiny with unshed tears, and Pegasus’s head drooped. 

 

“Oh, Bucky, I’m so sorry….” Steve whispered, feeling tears race down his cheeks. He gently reached out, picking up Bucky’s body and bringing him close to his chest. Steve buried his nose in Bucky’s hair, still just as sweet smelling, and he sobbed, feeling like his chest had been hollowed out. What was the point of being a hero, of being as  _ strong  _ and as  _ brave  _ as Steve was, if he couldn’t even save the people he loved? He still loved Bucky, despite the mess that had been made of it, and now he was sharply regretting never having the chance to say as such. 

 

Taking a shuddering breath, Steve softly lay Bucky back down on the ground. It was the most peaceful Steve had ever seen Bucky, and that thought tore at time, and he once again loathed himself for saying all those horrible things to Bucky, for refusing to hear out his side of the story. In the end, Bucky had saved Steve, despite the nasty things Steve had said.

 

Sam sniffed, placing a hand on Steve’s shuddering shoulder. “I’m sorry, Steve,” he murmured. “He wasn’t one that you could save.”

 

Sam’s word had a sudden calm, clear certainty grow in Steve’s chest as an idea formed in his head. It was foolish, and had almost no hope of working- but at that moment, Steve couldn’t care less if it killed him. “Yes, I can,” he said, standing abruptly. He ignored Sam’s increasingly frustrated questions as he walked away, knowing what he had to do.

 

Getting to the Underworld was both easy and difficult, and though Steve didn’t know the way, the calm certainty in his chest told him that he was headed the right way. Deep into the woods, and deeper still, until a large rock appeared, hiding a very small opening. It was surrounded by a darkness that the nearby trees couldn’t account for, but Steve ignored the primal terror he felt and descended into the tunnel behind the rock. All warmth around him sapped away the lower he went, the feeling of wrongness seeping into his bones. The very air around Steve seemed to be dead and stagnant, filled with muffled cries of pain and grief, sliding against Steve’s skin, leaving him feeling dirty and slimy.

 

When he came out on the other side, it was an easy job to beat the three headed guard dog into submission, force the ferryman to take him across the River of Souls, and deposit him where he needed to go. All Steve felt was a clear-headed, cold wrath, directed solely at Hades. He didn’t care that no mortals nor souls ever left the Underworld, or that in his own domain, Hades was even more powerful. Nothing else mattered but this.

 

Hades was ready for his arrival, standing before his throne, fury still written across his features. “Well, well, I had hoped I’d seen the last of you,” he said coldly. Hades tensed, as if expected a fight. 

 

“Let Bucky  _ go _ ,” Steve ordered, advancing on the god, heedless of his surroundings. He would strangle a god with his own bare hands if

 

Surprise flitted across Hades’ face, before he smiled, cruel and smug. “As much as I’d like to do that, I’m afraid I can’t.”

 

Practically snarling, Steve demanded, “Why not?” He was in no mood to play the god’s games. 

 

Hades didn’t respond, only snapped his finger. In an instant the two were in Tartarus, the air filled with screams and moans, every hair on Steve’s head standing up straight and goosebumps erupting along his skin. “I don’t make the rules, you see, and he’s  _ trapped _ , nothing to do about it,” Hades said silkily, gesturing to the scene before him.

 

Bucky was dangling on the edge of the cliff, only able to hold on with his one arm, as Steve himself spat vitriol at him. The ghostly version of Steve called him names, told him how many lives Bucky had ruined, how many he had killed. Bucky sobbed and begged, straining to hold on, only to fall, screaming as he dropped to his ‘death’. Then… the scene rest, Bucky was dangling yet again, only to be berated viciously by Steve, over and over and  _ over _ .

 

Steve reeled back, bile rising in his throat. He tried to reach out to grab Bucky, to help, to do  _ something _ , but as soon as his hands entered the barrier between them, they immediately started to wither, growing old and wasting away as he watched. With a gasp Steve yanked his hands back, panting as he watched the skin return to normal.

 

Hades chuckled darkly. “Unfortunately, those still alive are not permitted to enter, lest they want to join the other souls.”

 

Steve stared down at his hands, mind racing, trying to find a way out of this for both him and Bucky. A memory came to him of the night before, which now seemed a century ago. “I’ll make you a deal,” Steve said, remembering the god’s words to him.

 

Surprise once again flashed in the god’s eyes. “Is that so?”

 

Steve nodded, setting his jaw, ignoring every instinct in him that screamed how bad of an idea this was. “My soul for his. I get him out, you let him go, and I’ll stay,” he explained. 

 

Hades studied him shrewdly, lips thinned as he thought. After a moment, he nodded once. “Very well, a trade. If you are able to reach him in time, I will set him free, but I shall keep your soul in payment.” The shadows around the god thrashed excitedly, and Steve only nodded, not trusting his voice. “Well then, have at it,” the god responded, throwing his arm out at the scene of Bucky falling yet again from the cliff.

 

Taking a deep breath, Steve jumped inside before he could have second thoughts. Immediately, he could feel his skin drying and wrinkling, his bones weakening and his muscles shrinking. It was an odd, horrifying feeling, not unlike how losing his strength had felt, but slightly less painful. Forcing himself to plow on despite his now-trembling legs, Steve approached the cliffside, shoving his ghostly form away with a gasp.

 

Falling to his knees, partly to reach Bucky and partly because he couldn’t quite keep his balance anymore, Steve cried out Bucky’s name. Bucky looked up from the drop below him, eyes wide and tearful, fear etched into his features. 

 

Bucky cried out desperately, “Steve! I’m sorry, I’m sorry,  _ please _ , I didn’t mean to-”

 

Steve shook his head, reaching out a withered, shaking hand. “It’s okay, I know now. I forgive you.” He reached towards Bucky as far as he could, barely managing to snake his fingers around Bucky’s wrist. Bucky let out a fearful noise as his fingers slipped a centimeter, and Steve gripped tighter, using all the strength he had left in his frail body. 

 

Bucky slipped again, and Steve slid with him, shoulders now hanging off the cliff. Bucky screwed his eyes shut, whining in fear. Desperate not to lose Bucky, terror seeping through him as breathing became harder and his muscles quaked with weakness, Steve threw his other hand out, gripping onto Bucky’s forearm. With a shout of exertion and one last heave, Steve managed to bring Bucky’s upper torso back over the edge. Almost sobbing in relief, Bucky dragged himself up and over the cliff, collapsing onto flat ground. 

 

Immediately, Steve felt life once again flooding his body, muscles filling out and skin rejuvenating once more. It felt like regaining his strength earlier except…  _ more _ . He felt as if he could leap to the moon, pick up whole mountains and toss them, run across the entire Earth and never feel tired. He shuddered and shook with the raw power flooding him, and his eyes widened as he saw the faint glow emanating from his skin. It looked like… he looked like a  _ god _ . Bucky watched with wide eyes, mouth open, frozen on the ground.

 

Looking down at Bucky with an impossibly bright grin, Steve held his hand out again. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Bucky gave a tentative smile back and let Steve tug him up, and Steve couldn’t help but pull them together for a crushing, passionate kiss. Bucky melted against Steve;s chest, and Steve held him even tighter, sure that he would never want to let go again. 

 

As they turned and walked out of Bucky’s punishment, Hades was standing there, jaw agape, flames around him all but extinguished in his shock. “ _ How… _ what in the  _ gods names _ -” he sputtered in outrage. Steve simply lashed out his fist, sending the god flying backwards, vindictive pleasure flooding the new god as Hades landed directly in the path of a falling boulder in someone else’s punishment. 

 

Returning to Earth was easy, now that neither Bucky nor Steve belonged in The Underworld. Sam whooped and hollered as Steve came back, shining and golden, a healthy Bucky at his side. Pegasus immediately flew them back up the Olympus, where all of the gods were waiting to congratulate Steve. Hera came running up to him first, wrapping Steve in a warm hug, murmuring how proud she was of him. Zeus was next, clapping Steve on the shoulder with a booming laugh, shouting “That’s my son!”

 

In all the commotion, Steve hadn’t noticed Bucky trailing behind and edging backwards. Bucky knew he didn’t belong here, knew he wouldn’t be allowed to stay. He drank in the sight of a happy, glowing (literally) Steve, and took a shaky breath, turning to ask Pegasus to bring him back to Earth.

 

Looking behind him to introduce Bucky, Steve frowned when he didn’t see the brunet. After a moment of searching, he found him, and ran over to the other man. “Bucky, where are you going?” he asked, still smiling. 

 

Bucky shook his head, biting his lip. “Mortals aren’t allowed on Olympus Steve, you know that,” he said quietly. Steve blanched; he had forgotten about that complication. “It’s alright, Steve, this is your home. Stay, you’ve earned it.” Bucky’s tremulous voice belied how much the thought hurt him.

 

Steve opened and closed his mouth, looked back beseechingly at his mother and father, but they shook their heads sadly. He turned back to Bucky, aghast, torn. This was what he had wanted his entire life, somewhere he belonged, but now… he didn’t think he could bear to be parted from Bucky again. He looked between Bucky and the gates of Olympus, worrying at his lip, brain telling him one thing but heart telling him another….

 

Nodding once and taking a deep breath, he returned to his parents. “I’m sorry, but I….” Steve trailed off, unsure how to explain that he was giving up this gift, this  _ incredible _ opportunity, to return to being human. But he wouldn’t leave Bucky behind, not again. 

 

But his parents needed no reason, Zeus smiling knowingly and Hera with tears in her eyes. “Go, my boy, follow your heart.” She kissed Steve’s cheek, and Zeus gave Steve a hug. With a snap from Zeus, Steve could feel his godhood seeping from him, but this time it was gentle and slow, like the dimming of a light. “Thank you,” he whispered, before turning and running back to Bucky.

 

Bucky frowned, and barely had time to ask, “What-” before Steve slammed into him, wrapping his arms around Bucky for a deep, searing kiss. Bucky quickly returned the kiss, his arm coming up to wrap around Steve’s neck, and they kissed for all to see, and Steve decided that the love in his chest was far better than any godly powers.  _ This _ was where he belonged, right next to Bucky. 


End file.
